Meta-Biol

• Pathways

CLEC7A (also known as Dectin-1) is a pattern-recognition receptor (PRR) expressed by myeloid cells (macrophages, dendritic cells and neutrophils) that detects pathogens by binding to beta-1,3-glucans in fungal cell walls and triggers direct innate immune responses to fungal and bacterial infections. CLEC7A belongs to thetype-II C-type lectin receptor (CLR) family that can mediate its own intracellular signaling. Upon binding particulate beta-1,3-glucans, CLEC7A mediates intracellular signalling through its cytoplasmic immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motif (ITAM)-like motif (Brown 2006). CLEC7A signaling can induce the production of various cytokines and chemokines, including tumour-necrosis factor (TNF), CXC-chemokine ligand 2 (CXCL2, also known as MIP2), interleukin-1beta (IL-1b), IL-2, IL-10 and IL-12 (Brown et al. 2003), it also triggers phagocytosis and stimulates the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), thus contributing to microbial killing (Gantner et al. 2003, Herre et al. 2004, Underhill et al. 2005, Goodridge at al. 2011, Reid et al. 2009). These cellular responses mediated by CLEC7A rely on both Syk-dependent and Syk-independent signaling cascades. The pathways leading to the Syk-dependent activation of NF-kB can be categorised into both canonical and non-canonical routes (Gringhuis et al. 2009). Activation of the canonical NF-kB pathway is essential for innate immunity, whereas activation of the non-canonical pathway is involved in lymphoid organ development and adaptive immunity (Plato et al. 2013).

Innate immunity encompases the nonspecific part of immunity tha are part of an individual's natural biologic makeup

Humans are exposed to millions of potential pathogens daily, through contact, ingestion, and inhalation. Our ability to avoid infection depends on the adaptive immune system and during the first critical hours and days of exposure to a new pathogen, our innate immune system.