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The logic of intercellular communication in the immune system
Author(s) -
Hodgkin PD,
Rush J,
Gett AV,
Bartell G,
Hasbold J
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
immunology and cell biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.999
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1440-1711
pISSN - 0818-9641
DOI - 10.1046/j.1440-1711.1998.00776.x
Subject(s) - immune system , intracellular , biology , communication , microbiology and biotechnology , cognitive science , psychology , immunology
The collaboration between T and B lymphocytes is used as an example to illustrate how the key features of immune regulation (cell interaction, reciprocal exchange of signals by cell contact, and dependence on soluble cytokines) serve as amplifying reactions. By linking cell‐based amplifiers in sequence, the resulting immune response is made highly sensitive to small changes in the environment. Thus, intercellular communication in the immune system can be viewed as a higher level analogue to the kinase cascades that amplify intracellular signalling mechanisms.