A pattern recognition receptor called toll-like receptor 13 detects pathogens in a manner that is different to that seen in other pathogen sensors.

Biochemical and genetic tests have revealed that a liver protein called NTCP is a functional receptor for hepatitis B and D viruses, which should lead to an improved understanding of the infections caused by these viruses and assist the development of new intervention strategies.

By using immune cells called dendritic cells to deliver drugs, it is possible to target and kill specific members of another class of immune cell, known as T cells, and to prevent these cells from attacking the body's own tissues in cases of autoimmune disease.

Structure-function analysis of the super elongation complex formed when HIV replicates inside cells reveals that the HIV-1 Tat protein binds to a cleft between P-TEFb, an enzyme that is involved in normal transcription, and AFF4, a protein that is used to build the super elongation complex

Research on humans and dogs reveals that the communities of microorganisms found on the skin, on the tongue and in the intestine are affected differently by age and cohabitation.

A protein called PVRL4 has a central role in a number of cancers that originate in epithelial tissue, and anti-PVRL4 antibodies could be used to treat some of these cancers.

Some of the mutations that occur during influenza evolution can only be tolerated in conjunction with other mutations that increase the stability of a viral protein.

The eye produces a protein that inhibits the growth of blood vessels in the deep retina, which includes the photoreceptor layer, and disruption of this process can lead to blindness.

A DNA transposon, or ‘jumping gene’, controls its amplification within a genome through a competition between the enzyme multimers that are responsible for its mobility.