Biomedical subjects

J Cunliffe

Publications and source records attributed to J Cunliffe.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1999

From terra firma to terra plana--danger is shaking the foundations: deconstructing the 'immune system'.

The paradigm of an immune system presumes that a system arose specifically to combat infection -- hence its name. This paradigm gained credibility with the discovery of antibodies and anamnestic immunity, even though these are relatively late arrivals in evolution. Another presumption has been that thymus-dependent T cells are responsible for discriminating self from non-self. Subsequent opinion has crystallized around these presumptions. This paradigm is flawed. Transforming it into a morphostatic system resolves the problems. There is, arguably, no such thing as an immune system.

Animals↗

PubMed1997

Morphostasis: an evolving perspective.

In an earlier article, I proposed a pathway by which morphostasis (tissue homeostasis) may have evolved. It began in single-celled organisms and culminated in the mammalian immune system. This evolutionary path is now traced from its source--the intracellular surveillance within an isolated cell of its own internal health. Morphostasis sequentially incorporates heat shock proteins, apoptosis, cell adhesion molecules, complement components, gap junctions, phagocytes, natural killer cells, cytotoxic T-cells, helper cells and antibodies. I propose that the sequence leading to the insertion of gap junctions is an ancestor of the complement attack sequence. Although contentious, this deduction is intriguing, since numerous, minimal clues support the proposition. The broad hypothesis emphasizes a theme that may prove to be a useful framework on which to hang a better understanding of immunology and embryology. It highlights points where a concentrated research effort may rapidly advance our understanding of both.

Animals↗

PubMed1995

Morphostasis and immunity.

Scientists have traditionally been resistant to fundamental changes in perspective. New ideas are rejected if they challenge essential, accepted paradigms. Here I present a concept that, I believe, represents a paradigm shift in the way self/non-self discrimination is perceived. Traditional opinion has it that lymphocytes carry out this discrimination. I propose an alternative view. Self/non-self discrimination is driven by mechanisms closely related to those that lead to cell sorting in disaggregated embryos. Lymphocytes are only used to classify cells according to their mode of death (apoptosis or necrosis). The hypothesis outlines the process of morphostasis (tissue homeostasis). It fills in much detail about the gradual evolution of the mammalian immune system. Earlier versions of this hypothesis have been reflexly rejected by numerous journals. Until recently, I too was unsure of the validity of the core concept. Recent publications have dispelled this doubt from my mind. A paradigm shift is due.

Animals↗

PubMed1978

Evidence for a change in neurotransmitter affecting oesophageal motility in Parkinson's disease.

In a study of oesophageal motility in 20 patients with Parkinson's disease, intravenous atropine produced marked disruption of co-ordination in response to swallows, when compared with control subjects. This suggests that cholinergic rather than dopaminergic mechanisms are more important in the control of swallowing in patients with Parkinsonism. No conclusive evidence of peripheral dopamine depletion or autonomic neuropathy was found, although minor changes suggestive of the former were found in severely affected patients.

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