Host-pathogen interactions are the dynamic, reciprocal biological processes that occur between a host organism and an invading pathogen, encompassing molecular recognition, immune sensing, signaling, and effector responses, as well as pathogen strategies for attachment, invasion, replication, and immune evasion. These interactions involve pattern recognition receptors (e.g., Toll-like, NOD-like, and RIG-I-like receptors), pathogen-associated molecular patterns, and downstream signaling pathways that regulate inflammation, cell death, and antimicrobial defenses. Concurrently, pathogens deploy virulence factors, secretion systems, and immune-modulatory molecules to manipulate host cell pathways, subvert immunity, and optimize their survival, replication, and transmission, thereby determining infection outcomes and disease pathogenesis.
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) scientists have developed a way to "supercharge" a plant's natural immune response.
Biotechnology
Sep 25, 2026
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Biochemists at the University of Wisconsin–Madison are using AI to tackle one of modern medicine's most pressing challenges: the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections. Using data collected in their lab, biochemistry ...
Cell & Microbiology
Sep 24, 2026
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40
AI-predicted protein complex structures for more than 2,800 viruses are now openly available in the AlphaFold Database. To better understand and protect against emerging pathogens, the dataset prioritizes proteomes from viral ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Sep 24, 2026
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52
Scientists from the Biosciences Department at Durham University have outlined possible new approaches to protecting crops from devastating diseases by finding common weaknesses in the proteins pathogens use to attack plants. ...
Cell & Microbiology
Sep 24, 2026
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12
The bacteria living on frogs' skin could play a vital role in protecting the animals from a deadly fungal disease. A team of researchers led by Penn State scientists found that frogs' natural skin bacteria can help them fight ...
Ecology
Sep 24, 2026
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63
A UK-led research collaboration has taken a significant step in the global effort to protect cereal crops from the devastating blast fungus. Researchers at the John Innes Centre explored a recently discovered class of plant ...
Biotechnology
Sep 23, 2026
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Bacteriophages—or phages, for short—are viruses that kill bacteria, and scientists have been studying them for decades as a possible solution to antibiotic-resistant infections. But phages are notoriously picky eaters—a phage ...
Cell & Microbiology
Sep 23, 2026
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25
For years, scientists were certain that two factors were involved in the assembly of active, highly infectious Zika viruses in human cells: a specific viral protein in its entirety and a turncoat human enzyme that assured ...
To boost corals' resilience amid rising sea temperatures and the spread of disease, KAUST researchers have found that controlled, low-level exposure to dead pathogenic cells can help corals resist future infection.
Ecology
Sep 22, 2026
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25
To enter cells, the COVID-19 virus fuses its surrounding membrane with the membrane of the target cell. This is where the fusion peptides of the spike protein come into play. These regions function as molecular keys that ...
Cell & Microbiology
Sep 17, 2026
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