One of the most influential discoveries in immunology was the identification of pattern recognition receptors (or PRRs) expressed by immune cells. Recognition of ligands by PRRs, particularly members of the C-type lectin receptor (CLR) family, triggers intracellular signalling cascades that initiate and/or regulate a variety of cellular and inflammatory responses. Although most studied in the context of antimicrobial immunity, CLRs also recognise endogenous ligands and play a key role in the development of autoimmunity. In this presentation, I will focus our most recent discoveries regarding the roles of CLRs in immunity.
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Gordon Brown completed a Ph.D. in microbiology at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. He was a Wellcome Trust travelling postdoctoral fellow at the University of Oxford, UK, then a Wellcome Trust Senior Fellow at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. He is now a Professor of Immunology, Wellcome Trust Senior Investigator and Director of the MRC Centre for Medical Mycology at the University of Aberdeen, and Director of the AFGrica Unit at the University of Cape Town. His primary research interests are C-type lectin receptors and their role in homeostasis and immunity, with a particular focus on antifungal immunity.