Defence gene activation

M. A. Lawton and C. J. Lamb, Transcriptional activation of plant defence genes by fungal elicitor, wounding and infection, Molecular Cell Biology 7 335 (1987). 

Fig. 1 Proposed homeostatic regulation of inflammation in effective host defence. The initial phase of inflammation is initiated by a host of pro-inflammatory cytokines and eicosanoids which subsequently become diminished with time, and are coupled with the likely activation of anti-inflammatory and pro-resolution mediators, including the lipoxins, resolvins and protectins. Typically, IL 13 up-regulates 15-LO gene expression of human blood monocytes for example (Nassar et al. 1994). The associated increase in enzyme activity results in an increase in LX generation which promotes the resolution phase of inflammation. IL, interleukin TNF-a, tumour necrosis factor-a MCP-1, monocyte chemotactic protein-1 RANTES, regulated upon activation, normal T-cell expressed and secreted TGF i, transforming growth factor...

If a cell opts to slug it out rather than take an honourable exit, the kinds of defences it draws on are qualitatively similar in all living things, from . coli to humans. At present, the system in E. coli is better understood, in part because bacterial genes are organized into operating units called operons. This makes it easier to identify exactly which genes are involved. In . coli, two main transcription factors are activated by the oxidation of... 

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