IUBio

The immune system is dead! Long live the immune system!

Jamie Cunliffe cunlij at my-deja.com
Thu Feb 10 08:53:55 EST 2000


In article <87oo0l$1h71$1 at news6.isdnet.net>,
  "Pierre" <sonigo at cochin.inserm.fr> wrote:
> Jamie, thanks for your explanation. My neurons are less messy ;)
> I understand the "mess" tag is attributed to the environment and not
to the
> antigen.
> Do you have a more precise idea (or reference, to keep you from a long
> explanation) of how it is possible for a phagocyte from the beginning
of
> metazoan evolution to recognize mess from non mess, are start
different
> actions when the mess is messy rather than tidy ?
> I read P. Matzinger already (and your papers online too) but I am not
sure
> this point is treated, except by a "black-box" evolutionary
argument : "they
> had to do it to guaranty their survival".
> Thanks

Pierre,

There isn't that much (that I have found) on phagocyte recognition of
effete, spilt, damaged cells. However, every medical student learns all
this as soon as s/he starts learning pathology. CD11 and CD18 have a
good part to play. Complement (nearly all components secreted by
macrophages by the way) opsonisation is undoubtedly one of the
strategies. Collectins are another. However, it has been very
much "second class" (reductionist) research. And this is most strange
since "life without lymphocytes may be very awkward but without
phagocytes it's impossible".

The recognition of apoptotic cells is much better documented. Two
articles come to mind.
Savill J, Br Med Bull 1997; 53:491-508
Savill J et al, Immunol Today 1993; 14:131-136

Clearly, they DO tidy up the mess. How? That is, perhaps, a great arena
for a lot more reductionist research.

Jamie

--
Waterside Health Centre, SO45 5WX, UK
Home pages
http://www.ndirect.co.uk/~greenprac/jamie/jamie%20main.htm


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