Mycobacterial infections and the inflammatory seesaw.
Eicosanoids can have either proinflammatory effects or anti-inflammatory effects. Tobin and colleagues use a forward genetic screen in zebrafish to identify a key eicosanoid enzyme, leukotriene A(4) hydrolase (LTA(4)H), that controls susceptibility to mycobacterial infection. They also demonstrate that polymorphisms in LTA(4)H are associated with susceptibility to mycobacteria in humans.
Center for Vaccine Research, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA.
Charles A
CA
Scanga
JoAnne L
JL
Flynn