TY - JOUR
T1 - Promethean evolution
T2 - A comparison of the immune and neural systems
AU - Silverstein, Arthur M.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2015 by Johns Hopkins University Press.
PY - 2014/1/11
Y1 - 2014/1/11
N2 - In contrast to normal Darwinian evolution involving adaptation to past challenges, it has been suggested that evolution has devised two unique biological mechanisms to permit the host to anticipate future challenges: the adaptive immune response and neural memory functions. Certain phenomenological similarities, some sharing of names, and the participation in both systems of a group of physiologically active molecules suggested to many that the two might be intimately related. This article compares the two systems in terms of the familiar parlance of immunology-specificity, repertoire, degeneracy, memory, mediators, pathways, and genetics-to show that they differ in most respects, except insofar as they may utilize some of the same agents, many of which participate in the normal functions of other tissues and systems of the body. Indeed, this very difference provides a further demonstration of the wonders of the evolutionary process.
AB - In contrast to normal Darwinian evolution involving adaptation to past challenges, it has been suggested that evolution has devised two unique biological mechanisms to permit the host to anticipate future challenges: the adaptive immune response and neural memory functions. Certain phenomenological similarities, some sharing of names, and the participation in both systems of a group of physiologically active molecules suggested to many that the two might be intimately related. This article compares the two systems in terms of the familiar parlance of immunology-specificity, repertoire, degeneracy, memory, mediators, pathways, and genetics-to show that they differ in most respects, except insofar as they may utilize some of the same agents, many of which participate in the normal functions of other tissues and systems of the body. Indeed, this very difference provides a further demonstration of the wonders of the evolutionary process.
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U2 - 10.1353/pbm.2014.0034
DO - 10.1353/pbm.2014.0034
M3 - Article
C2 - 26497233
AN - SCOPUS:84945247388
SN - 0031-5982
VL - 57
SP - 449
EP - 469
JO - Perspectives in biology and medicine
JF - Perspectives in biology and medicine
IS - 4
ER -