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Why study the evolution of immunity?

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Investigations of immune recognition in nonmammalian species provide new insights into the evolution of immunity and the inner workings of the mammalian immune system. Very diverse mechanisms are used by different multicellular organisms to recognize and cope with the rapidly evolving microbial world.

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Figure 1: Present ideas of immune diversity in alternative model systems.

M. Sexton

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Gary W. Litman is in the Department of Pediatrics, University of South Florida Children's Research Institute, St. Petersburg, Florida 33701, USA, and the Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, Florida 33612, USA.,

    Gary W Litman

  2. Max D. Cooper is in the Departments of Medicine, Pediatrics, Microbiology, and Pathology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama 35294, USA. max.cooper@ccc.uab.edu,

    Max D Cooper

Authors
  1. Gary W Litman
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  2. Max D Cooper
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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Litman, G., Cooper, M. Why study the evolution of immunity?. Nat Immunol 8, 547–548 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/ni0607-547

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