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Updated: Jul 29, 2026

Dissecting Innate Immune Signaling in Viral Evasion of Cytokine Production
Published on: March 2, 2014
An evolutionary perspective on signaling in behavior and immunology
1Department of Biology, University of California, Riverside 92521, USA.
Abstract:
Signaling and communication are important at different levels of biological organization. Signals exchanged between cells of the immune system initiate and coordinate the immune response; signals exchanged between individuals often coordinate social behavior. Behavioral ecologists interested in the evolution and functional design of signals exchanged between individuals have produced a theory of signaling and communication that stresses the importance of cooperation and conflict; if a conflict of interest between signaler and receiver is great enough, signals evolve towards greater reliability. We suggest that the application of signaling system theory to signals exchanged between cells within an individual will allow for a better understanding of immunity and intra-individual communication in general, with potential for novel approaches to the treatment of disease.
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