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Sophisticated specificity in the innate immune response
Author(s) -
Milling Simon
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.297
H-Index - 133
eISSN - 1365-2567
pISSN - 0019-2805
DOI - 10.1111/imm.13112
Subject(s) - innate immune system , pattern recognition receptor , biology , acquired immune system , immune system , immunology , receptor , ccl18 , innate lymphoid cell , immunity , inflammatory response , inflammation , genetics
Summary Immunologists are sometimes guilty of describing the innate immune response as ‘non‐specific’. What we really mean is that the pattern recognition receptors of innate immune cells are not able to recombine and mutate to bind the spectacular range of molecular patterns that can be recognised by B and T cells. So, while it may be accurate to describe the innate immune response as less specific than adaptive immunity, even this belies the emerging complexity of the receptors and receptor complexes that control inflammatory responses. This complexity is necessary to recognise danger, and therefore successfully initiate proportionate inflammatory responses to cellular damage or against potential pathogens.