Ifi204/p204, a new piece in the sepsis puzzle

Innate immunity is the first line of defense against microbial infection. The host cells are equipped with cellular sensors, which detect various components of microbes to mount rapid and early antimicrobial immune responses (1-3). The Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are transmembrane proteins, located on the cell surface or the endosome, to recognize the extracellular microbial components, and trigger pro-inflammatory and antimicrobial responses (1,3-5).