Innate Immunity in Initial Deviation of Metazoanst

The desire to learn more about innate immunity and general immunological responses in early diverging metazoans including cnidarians, placozoans, sponges, and ctenophores prompted this article on innate immunity. The area of comparative invertebrate immunology was founded on previous immunological research in vertebrates and invertebrates, such as Drosophila, C. elegans, and shellfish. However, as the field grew in popularity, there was a disproportionate reliance on bilateral models, which limited our knowledge of the development and variety of metazoan innate immunological systems. There are definitely common basic mechanisms of immunity across the Metazoan, as well as lineage-specific mechanisms that have yet to be found and hence remain concealed from our perspective.

Author(s): Elizabeth Tan

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