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Immune surveillance is an integral part of the innate immune system, involving the continuous monitoring of peripheral tissues to detect and respond to pathogens, infected cells, or cancerous cells. This surveillance is conducted primarily by natural killer (NK) cells and phagocytes, which employ distinct but complementary mechanisms to identify and eliminate threats.
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 30, 2026

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Circulating phagocytes: the ancient and conserved interface between immune and neuroendocrine function.

Davide Malagoli1, Mauro Mandrioli1, Fabio Tascedda1

  • 1Department of Life Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, via Campi, 213/D, 41122, Modena, Italy.

Biological Reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society
|November 10, 2015
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Professional phagocytes, like macrophages and immunocytes, share conserved functions and molecular pathways with neural and neuroendocrine systems across diverse species. This immune-neuroendocrine role likely predates major animal superphyla splits, highlighting evolutionary conservation.

Keywords:
evolutionimmune and neuroendocrine functionimmunocytesinvertebratemacrophagevertebrate

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Immunology
  • Neuroendocrinology

Background:

  • Immune and neuroendocrine systems exhibit functional overlap in diverse animal models, from invertebrates to mammals.
  • Professional phagocytes, including macrophages (vertebrates) and immunocytes (invertebrates), are key mediators of this crosstalk.
  • These cell types, despite different origins, share conserved transcription factors, receptors, signaling molecules, and pathways with neural and neuroendocrine cells.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the evolutionary conservation of the immune-neuroendocrine role of circulating phagocytes.
  • To explore the shared molecular and functional characteristics between phagocytic immune cells and neuroendocrine systems across metazoans.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative analysis of immune and neuroendocrine functions across divergent animal groups (molluscs, crustaceans, insects, mammals).
  • Examination of developmental origins and differentiation pathways of macrophages and immunocytes.
  • Review of molecular evidence regarding shared receptors, signaling molecules, and pathways.

Main Results:

  • Macrophages and immunocytes demonstrate comparable functions and differentiate under conserved transcription factor control.
  • These phagocytes share molecular components (receptors, signaling pathways) with neural and neuroendocrine systems.
  • Recent evidence shows adult transdifferentiation of haemocytes into neural cells in crustaceans.

Conclusions:

  • The immune-neuroendocrine role of circulating phagocytes is an ancient conserved trait, predating the split of protostomian and deuterostomian superphyla.
  • This conserved function highlights the deep evolutionary links between immunity, the nervous system, and endocrine regulation in metazoans.