Shao Feng Laboratory, deputy director of Beijing Institute of Life Sciences and professor of Tsinghua University Institute of Biomedicine, found a new way to recognize natural immune patterns, which opened up a new way for developing immunomodulators and vaccine adjuvants. Related papers were recently published online in the authoritative scientific journal Nature. In the same period, Nature published a review article, which spoke highly of this work.

Bacteria are important pathogens causing diseases in mammals, including Gram-negative and Gram-positive. In all gram-negative bacteria and some positive bacteria, there is a heptasaccharide metabolite, which is the precursor of lipopolysaccharide molecule (commonly known as endotoxin) that synthesizes bacterial cell wall. Shao Feng laboratory first proved that heptaose is a new pathogenic model molecule. After it enters mammalian cells through the cell membrane, it is recognized by a kinase protein named ALPK 1, which induces the cells to synthesize inflammatory factors and then starts the host's immune response to bacteria.

Experts believe that Shao Feng Laboratory has also identified new pathogen-related molecular patterns and their corresponding pattern recognition receptors, and described a complete signal transduction pathway, which has high originality and practical application value. This important discovery will guide colleagues in the industry to explore the nature of the interaction between other protozoan-related molecular patterns and pattern recognition receptors, help scientists understand the infection and pathogenesis of bacterial pathogens, and provide new targets for drug research and development of related diseases caused by bacterial infections. ?