McDade Thomas W., Worthman Carol M.
Emory University, Department of Anthropology, Atlanta, Georgia.
Am J Hum Biol. 1999 Nov;11(6):705-717. doi: 10.1002/(SICI)1520-6300(199911/12)11:6<705::AID-AJHB1>3.0.CO;2-G.
Evolutionary principles inform central design features of human immune defenses and provide key insights into this complicated host defense system. This article explores the selection pressures and adaptive responses that have elaborated the immune system over the course of evolution and discusses their implications for understanding contemporary immune development and function. Special attention is given to the challenges posed by diverse, rapidly evolving pathogens and the mammalian response to these challenges. The process of lymphocyte diversity generation and subsequent clonal selection is quintessentially Darwinian: pathogens provide selection pressure that drives differential replication of host immune cell lines, resulting in changes in genetic frequencies within an individual's population of lymphocytes. The immune system also incorporates nongenetic transgenerational processes in the transfer of antibodies from mother to offspring through the placenta and breast milk. The consequences of these observations for human development, health, and the ecology of immune function are considered throughout the life cycle. Specifically, evolutionary processes provide insight into autoimmunity, thymic function, lymphocyte development, infectious disease risk, and lactation. While much work in evolutionary medicine focuses on the discordance between evolved biology and rapidly changing cultural environments, with respect to the immune system, evolutionary processes may be most revealing when applied within individuals. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 11:705-717, 1999. Copyright 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
进化原理揭示了人类免疫防御的核心设计特征，并为理解这个复杂的宿主防御系统提供了关键见解。本文探讨了在进化过程中塑造免疫系统的选择压力和适应性反应，并讨论了它们对于理解当代免疫发育和功能的意义。特别关注了多样且快速进化的病原体所带来的挑战以及哺乳动物对这些挑战的反应。淋巴细胞多样性产生及随后的克隆选择过程是典型的达尔文式过程：病原体提供选择压力，驱动宿主免疫细胞系的差异复制，导致个体淋巴细胞群体内基因频率的变化。免疫系统还包含非遗传的跨代过程，即抗体通过胎盘和母乳从母亲传递给后代。在整个生命周期中，都会考虑这些观察结果对人类发育、健康和免疫功能生态的影响。具体而言，进化过程为自身免疫、胸腺功能、淋巴细胞发育、传染病风险和哺乳提供了见解。虽然进化医学的许多工作都集中在进化生物学与快速变化的文化环境之间的不一致上，但就免疫系统而言，进化过程在个体层面应用时可能最具启发性。《美国人类生物学杂志》11:705 - 717，1999年。版权所有1999年威利 - 利斯公司。
