title: Alerting and tuning the immune response by extracellular nucleotides.
abstract: The interplay between pro- and anti-inflammatory mechanisms during inflammatory and immune responses is critical for avoiding excessive tissue damage. Extracellular nucleotides (e.g., adenosine 5'-triphosphate) may represent constitutive signals that can alert the immune system of abnormal cell death. Relatively high doses of nucleotides induce rapid release of proinflammatory mediators and favor pathogen killing. However, recent findings on antigen presenting cells, particularly dendritic cells, revealed a more complex role for these molecules. Chronic exposure to low-dose nucleotides can redirect cellular responses to prototypic activation stimuli, leading to suppressed inflammation and immune deviation.
authors.affiliation: Immune Cell Interaction Unit, Mucosal Immunity Section, Laboratory of Clinical Investigation, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA. alasala@niaid.nih.edu
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: la Sala
authors.forename: Davide
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ferrari
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Di Virgilio
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Idzko
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Norgauer
authors.forename: Giampiero
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Girolomoni
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D007107:Immune System / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D007111:Immunity, Cellular / Q000187:drug effects; D009711:Nucleotides / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000502:physiology*; D018048:Receptors, Purinergic P2 / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D009711:Nucleotides; D018048:Receptors, Purinergic P2