Seasonal variations in the immune system of lower vertebrates.
Seasonal variation, affecting the structure and function of the ectotherm immune system, is an excellent 'natural' model of the influence of neuroendocrine rhythms on immunity. In this review, Agustín Zapata, Alberto Varas and Marta Torroba examine the correlations between seasonal changes and circulating steroid levels, and investigate the possibility of a neuroendocrine-immune network in lower vertebrates.
Zapata
A G
AG
Dept of Cell Biology, Faculty of Biology, Complutense University, Madrid, Spain.
Varas
A
A
Torroba
M
M
D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000276:immunology; D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones / Q000276:immunology; D007107:Immune System / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D008297:Male; D012621:Seasons; D014714:Vertebrates / Q000276:immunology*
D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones