Fairlie-Clarke Karen J, Shuker David M, Graham Andrea L
Institutes of Evolution, Immunology & Infection Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Ashworth Laboratories King's Buildings, Edinburgh, UK.
Evol Appl. 2009 Feb;2(1):122-31. doi: 10.1111/j.1752-4571.2008.00052.x. Epub 2008 Dec 8.
Antigen specificity of adaptive immune responses is often in the host's best interests, but with important and as yet unpredictable exceptions. For example, antibodies that bind to multiple flaviviral or malarial species can provide hosts with simultaneous protection against many parasite genotypes. Vaccinology often aims to harness such imprecision, because cross-reactive antibodies might provide broad-spectrum protection in the face of antigenic variation by parasites. However, the causes of cross-reactivity among immune responses are not always known, and here, we explore potential proximate and evolutionary explanations for cross-reactivity. We particularly consider whether cross-reactivity is the result of constraints on the ability of the immune system to process information about the world of antigens, or whether an intermediate level of cross-reactivity may instead represent an evolutionary optimum. We conclude with a series of open questions for future interdisciplinary research, including the suggestion that the evolutionary ecology of information processing might benefit from close examination of immunological data.
适应性免疫反应的抗原特异性通常符合宿主的最大利益，但也存在重要且尚未可知的例外情况。例如，与多种黄病毒或疟原虫物种结合的抗体可为宿主同时提供针对多种寄生虫基因型的保护。疫苗学常常旨在利用这种不精确性，因为交叉反应性抗体在面对寄生虫的抗原变异时可能提供广谱保护。然而，免疫反应中交叉反应性的原因并不总是为人所知，在此，我们探讨交叉反应性潜在的直接原因和进化解释。我们特别考虑交叉反应性是免疫系统处理有关抗原世界信息能力受限的结果，还是中等程度的交叉反应性反而可能代表一种进化最优状态。我们最后提出了一系列供未来跨学科研究的开放性问题，包括信息处理的进化生态学可能会从对免疫学数据的仔细研究中受益这一建议。
