New review - B22 Kato

New publication from Hiroki Kato's group

Prof. Hiroki Kato, in collaboration with Prof. Takashi Fujita and Prof. Mitsutoshi Yoneyama, published a review in the journal "Immunity" on the occasion of the discovery of the RIG-I like receptor (RLR) 20 years ago.

This picture was taken in 2014: a long-term collaboration (right: H. Kato)

Summary

The RIG-I like receptor (RLR) is crucial for pathogen detection and triggering immune responses, and have immense physiological importance. In this review, we first summarize the interferon system and innate immunity, which constitute primary and secondary responses. Next, the molecular structure of RLR and the mechanism of sensing non-self RNA are described. Usually, self-RNA is refractory to RLR; however, there are underlying host mechanisms that prevent immune reactions. Studies have revealed that the regulatory mechanisms of RLR involve covalent molecular modifications, association with regulatory factors, and subcellular localization. Viruses have evolved to acquire antagonistic RLR functions to escape the host immune reactions. Finally, the pathologies caused by the malfunction of RLR signaling are described.