Metchnikoff Laboratory, Department of Pediatric, Gynecological, Microbiological and Biomedical Sciences, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.
Microbiol Spectr. 2016 Apr;4(2). doi: 10.1128/microbiolspec.MCHD-0009-2015.
Since the ability of some cells to engulf particulate material was observed before Metchnikoff, he did not "discover" phagocytosis, as is sometimes mentioned in textbooks. Rather, he assigned to particle internalization the role of defending the host against noxious stimuli, which represented a new function relative to the previously recognized task of intracellular digestion. With this proposal, Metchnikoff built the conceptual framework within which immunity could finally be seen as an active host function triggered by noxious stimuli. In this sense, Metchnikoff can be rightly regarded as the father of all immunological sciences and not only of innate immunity or myeloid cell biology. Moreover, the recognition properties of his phagocyte fit surprisingly well with recent discoveries and modern models of immune sensing. For example, rather than assigning to immune recognition exclusively the function of eliminating nonself components (as others did after him), Metchnikoff viewed phagocytes as homeostatic agents capable of monitoring the internal environment and promoting tissue remodeling, thereby continuously defining the identity of the organism. No doubt, Metchnikoff's life and creativity can provide, still today, a rich source of inspiration.
早在梅契尼科夫之前，就有人观察到一些细胞吞噬颗粒物质的能力，因此他并没有像教科书中有时提到的那样“发现”吞噬作用。相反，他将颗粒内化赋予了宿主抵御有害刺激的作用，这相对于先前认识到的细胞内消化的任务来说是一种新的功能。通过这一假说，梅契尼科夫构建了一个概念框架，使免疫最终被视为宿主对有害刺激的主动反应。从这个意义上说，梅契尼科夫不仅可以被正确地视为所有免疫学和先天免疫或髓样细胞生物学的鼻祖，还可以被视为所有免疫学的鼻祖。此外，他对吞噬细胞的识别特性与最近的发现和免疫感应的现代模型惊人地吻合。例如，梅契尼科夫并没有像他之后的其他人那样，将免疫识别仅仅赋予消除非自身成分的功能，而是将吞噬细胞视为能够监测内部环境并促进组织重塑的体内平衡调节剂，从而不断定义生物体的特征。毫无疑问，梅契尼科夫的生活和创造力仍然可以为我们提供丰富的灵感源泉。
