The affirmative response of the innate immune system to apoptotic cells.
Growing evidence exists for a new role for apoptotic cell recognition and clearance in immune homeostasis. Apoptotic cells at all stages, irrespective of membrane integrity, elicit a signature set of signaling events in responding phagocytes, both professional and non-professional. These signaling events are initiated by receptor-mediated recognition of apoptotic determinants, independently of species, cell type, or apoptotic stimulus. We propose that the ability of phagocytes to respond to apoptotic targets with a characteristic set of signaling events comprises a second distinct dimension of innate immunity, as opposed to the traditional innate discrimination of self vs. non-self. We further propose that a loss or abnormality of the signaling events elicited by apoptotic cells, as distinct from the actual clearance of those cells, may predispose to autoimmunity.
Patel
Vimal A
VA
Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, IL 60612, USA.
Longacre-Antoni
Angelika
A
Cvetanovic
Marija
M
Lee
Daniel J
DJ
Feng
Lanfei
L
Fan
Hanli
H
Rauch
Joyce
J
Ucker
David S
DS
Levine
Jerrold S
JS
D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000276:immunology*; D015551:Autoimmunity; D006801:Humans; D010586:Phagocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D010587:Phagocytosis / Q000276:immunology*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000276:immunology*