Immune response and tissue cytoprotection: two sides of the same coin in immunopathology

Dissertation presented to obtain the Ph.D degree in Biochemistry

The immune system is fundamental to maintaining the host’s viability upon infection. Nonetheless, the mechanisms used to control pathogens may also cause tissue damage, leading to the development of immunopathology. The host’s capacity to survive infections depends on its ability to control the pathogen burden, while avoiding the deleterious effect of immune responses on its own tissues. To achieve this goal, the host may apply the following strategies: increasing tissue resilience to immune-mediated insult and/or controlling exacerbated immune activation. This Thesis sought insight into the mechanisms used by the host to successfully employ both strategies(...)

The work presented on this Thesis has been funded by the grant SFHR/BD/33218/2007 from Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia