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Akirin， the New Molecule in Innate Immune System
Xiao-Yan Zhang, Li-Guo An, Gui-Wen Yang*
Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resistance Biology, School of Life Sciences,Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250014, China
Abstract: The innate immune system is the first defense against the microorganisms in all metazoans. Akirin， as a new nuclear factor which discovered in the innate immune response of Drosophila melanogaster， plays acritical role in the immune deficiency (Imd) pathway. Akirin proto-orthologue gene exists in a wide range of metazoans from Choanoflagellates， Drosophila to mammals and its sequences are highly conserved. In the Imd pathway of Drosophila and the Toll pathway of vertebrates， Akirin combining with the transcription factor NF-κB can modulate the transcription of target genes. Besides， Akirin’s overexpression and knockout influence animals’ defense ability against bacteria. Recently， some progress has been made in the immune-related signaling pathway of Akirin. This article will summarize its structure， function， regulatory mechanisms and evolution.
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