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Updated: May 22, 2025
Contact-Free Co-Culture Model for the Study of Innate Immune Cell Activation During Respiratory Virus Infection
Published on: February 28, 2021
Role of innate immunity in SARS-CoV-2 infection
Zihao Wang1,2, Fang Cheng1,2, Yuxiu Xu1
1Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
Abstract:
During severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, activated macrophages, dendritic cells (D.C.), neutrophils, and natural killer (N.K.) cells are the first defense against infection. These immune effectors trap and ingest the virus, kill infected epithelial cells, or produce anti-viral cytokines. Evidence suggests that aging, obesity, and mental illness can lead to weakened innate immunity and, thus, are all associated with elevated infection and severe disease progression of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Innate immune defense networks play a fundamental role in suppressing viral replication, infection establishment, and viral pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory viruses.
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