Auto-immunity as Evolutionary by Product of Adoptive Immunity and Source of Anti-tumor Immunity Failure

Abstract

One of the biggest threats to survival is infection, so that the immune system is under permanent and strong evolutionary pressure to be highly responsive. By tracing the evolution of the invertebrate LPPXQH V\VWHP LW FDQ EH VHHQ WKDW LW ODUJHO\ IROORZHG WKH ³FODVVLFDO´ PRGHO EDVHG RQ EL-directional Evolution of the Vertebrate Immune SystemSome evolutionary processes can be studied directly, while the evolution of the immune system and immunity cannot. The evolution of immunity is a macro-evolutionary process, which can be studied by examining the patterns in biological populations or species of related organisms and inferring process from pattern. One of the possible ways to carry out a detailed investigation into the issue of the evolution of the immune system is virtually by comparing the characteristics of the immune system across species and classes. In addition, the determination of the genes and molecules conserved throughout evolution is helpful in identifying the mechanisms of the immune system evolution, while variable genes as well as the emergence of new genes along evolution enable the identification of various evolutionary pressures, their duration and strength. This provides a better understanding of how the immune system works under physiological and pathological conditions. This approach, however, is not an easy one since only few percent of the total number of species that have inhabited the planet to date are available for research. Notwithstanding this limiting factor, previous studies have produced sufficient findings for the construction of a hypothetical model of the evolution of the immune system in vertebrates, and also cleared the pathway towards reaching further relevant presumptions and conclusions.