Publications by authors named "Shannon L Cox"

Macrophages are innate immune cells that orchestrate the process of inflammation, which varies across time of day. This ensures appropriate biological timing of the immune response with the external environment. The NLRP3 inflammasome mediates IL-1-family cytokine release via pyroptosis.

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Fibroblasts are stromal cells abundant throughout tissues, including the lungs. Fibroblasts are integral coordinators of immune cell recruitment through chemokine secretion. Circadian rhythms direct the recruitment of immune cells to the lung, which in turn impacts response to infection and survival.

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Dendritic cells play a key role in processing and presenting antigens to naïve T cells to prime adaptive immunity. Circadian rhythms are known to regulate many aspects of immunity; however, the role of circadian rhythms in dendritic cell function is still unclear. Here, we show greater T cell responses when mice are immunised in the middle of their rest versus their active phase.

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Article Synopsis
  • There is an interconnected relationship between metabolism, circadian rhythms, and the immune system, indicating the importance of timing in feeding and activity for immune responses.
  • Recent research highlights how metabolic pathways, known as immunometabolism, are crucial for the function of the innate immune system, which responds differently depending on the time of day.
  • Disruptions to circadian rhythms can lead to chronic inflammatory diseases, leading to a new field called "circadian immunometabolism" that explores how circadian-controlled metabolic processes influence immune function in different immune cell types.
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The transcription factor BMAL1 is a clock protein that generates daily or circadian rhythms in physiological functions including the inflammatory response of macrophages. Intracellular metabolic pathways direct the macrophage inflammatory response, however whether the clock is impacting intracellular metabolism to direct this response is unclear. Specific metabolic reprogramming of macrophages controls the production of the potent pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-1β.

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Mitochondria are dynamic organelles whose architecture changes depending on the cell's energy requirements and other signalling events. These structural changes are collectively known as mitochondrial dynamics. Mitochondrial dynamics are crucial for cellular functions such as differentiation, energy production and cell death.

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