title: Do we have memory of danger as well as antigen?
abstract: Recognition of specific protein antigens leads to immunological memory of antigen, whereas recognition of danger signals by the innate immune system determines the size, nature and longevity of a response. Recent data indicate that recognition of danger might have long-lasting effects on CD8 memory T-cell populations, specifically enhancing early cytokine release and thus altering the nature of subsequent immune responses. Here, a modified model of immune regulation is proposed in which a nonspecific immunological memory of danger accumulates during maturation of the immune system, allowing more potent cell-mediated immunity to develop in dangerous environments. Such a mechanism could be involved in phenomena leading to the 'hygiene hypothesis'.
authors.affiliation: King's College London, MRC & Asthma UK Centre in Allergic Mechanisms of Asthma, Guy's Hospital Campus, London SE1 9RT, UK. alistair.noble@kcl.ac.uk
authors.forename: Alistair
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Noble
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000276:immunology; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D019496:Cancer Vaccines; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002465:Cell Movement; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D006801:Humans; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000276:immunology*; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D007156:Immunologic Memory; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000276:immunology; D018418:Th2 Cells / Q000276:immunology; D051193:Toll-Like Receptors / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D019496:Cancer Vaccines; D051193:Toll-Like Receptors