Abstract
Apart from the brain, the immune system is perhaps the most complex ‘organ’ in vertebrates1. In contrast to most other organs, it shares with the brain the ability to react in a specific way to a large variety of ‘unforeseen’ events imposed by an everchanging environment. Although most metabolic pathways are able to adjust their activities within large environmental variations, these adjustments are mainly quantitative and much more simple than the flexibility shown by the reactions of the immune system. Accordingly, the genetic background of this system must be much more complex than those controlling more classic metabolic systems, and our knowledge about this background is still at a very early stage. However, within the last two decades a large amount of information has been accumulated and provided us with some insight into the marvellous immune machinery which allows each individual to react specifically to an almost endless number of different antigenic stimuli.
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Svejgaard, A., Dickmeiss, E., Hansen, G.S., Platz, P., Ryder, L.P., Thomsen, M. (1979). Genetics of the immune system. In: Güttler, F., Seakins, J.W.T., Harkness, R.A. (eds) Inborn Errors of Immunity and Phagocytosis. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-6197-8_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-6197-8_2
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