title: Ancient news: HMGBs are universal sentinels.
abstract: Yanai et al. (2009, Nature 462, 99-103) have shown that high mobility group boxs (HMGBs) are universal sensors of viral nucleic acids, and thus of cell infection. This appears to be an evolutionary ancient mechanism of virus detection, and possibly might be a facet of a more general propensity of HMGBs to act as integrators of signals that pertain to peace and stress, life and death.
authors.affiliation: Chromatin Dynamics Unit, Division of Genetics and Cell Biology, San Raffaele University and Scientific Institute, via Olgettina, 58, 20132 Milan, Italy. bianchi.marco@hsr.it
authors.forename: Marco E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Bianchi
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Celona
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004247:DNA / Q000276:immunology; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D024002:HMGB Proteins / Q000172:deficiency / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D018448:Models, Immunological; D009696:Nucleic Acids / Q000276:immunology; D012313:RNA / Q000276:immunology; D051193:Toll-Like Receptors / Q000378:metabolism; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D024002:HMGB Proteins; D009696:Nucleic Acids; D051193:Toll-Like Receptors; D012313:RNA; D004247:DNA