NHGRI, MAGGIE BARTLETT
1. Linking genes and bacteria in colitis
Mice that lack a gene for a key component of the immune system are more susceptible to colitis and develop altered gut flora. Furthermore, when these knockout mice were housed with mice with a functional copy of the gene, both groups were susceptible to colitis, suggesting that gut microbial composition of the knockout mice spreads to the wild-type, and that both genes and microbes are involved in this autoimmune disease.
E. Elinav et al., “NLRP6 inflammasome regulates colonic microbial ecology and risk for colitis,” Cell, 145:745-57, 2011. Free F1000 evaluation
2. Influenza’s Achilles’ heel
The influenza virus is typically skilled at evading immune surveillance, but scientists have identified ten lab-made antibodies that effectively neutralize all group 1 influenza ...
