Histones bound to lipid droplets inside cells offer protection against bacteria in flies, and possibly mice, thus suggesting a possible new innate immunity pathway.

The ability to share resources for the benefit of all members of a group may have driven ancient organisms to evolve from a unicellular to a multicellular state.

Components of the nuclear pore complex share structural and functional features with soluble nuclear transport receptors, which suggests that there may be an evolutionary relationship between these two types of protein.

Structural and biochemical analysis of a protein called Ecp6, which is produced by a tomato fungus, reveals how the protein prevents plants from launching an immune response to the chitin in fungal cell walls.

A set of genes that are turned on only within time-limited windows—including genes encoding RNA binding molecules, let-7 microRNAs and IMP1—control developmental switches in stem cell properties between fetal development and adulthood.

A newly characterized calcium-activated chloride channel has been implicated in the immune system of Drosophila, shedding light on an enigmatic family of transmembrane proteins that are ubiquitous in nature.

The sequencing of microbial genomes reveals that the presence of a particular microbial species in the gut may increase the risk of the autoimmune disease rheumatoid arthritis.

The precise position of UNC-13 at the active zone near a synapse depends on the N-terminus of the protein, and the C₂A domain in particular, and is essential for accelerating neurotransmitter release.

Mitochondrial anti-viral signaling proteins form three-stranded helical filaments in launching innate immune responses against RNA viruses.

To avoid recognition by the immune system, bacteria use autolysins to trim fragments of peptidoglycans that are exposed on the bacterial cell wall.