Inflammation is a protective response to infection by the immune system that requires communication between different classes of immune cells to coordinate their actions. Acute inflammation is an important part of the immune response, but chronic inappropriate inflammation can lead to destruction of tissues in autoimmune disorders and perhaps neurodegenerative or cardiovascular disease. Secreted cytokine proteins provide signals between immune cells to coordinate the inflammatory response.
Sources: [http://www.biocarta.com/pathfiles/h_inflamPathway.asp BioCarta].d62mast cellCL:0000097Cell TypefibroblastCL:0000057Cell TypeB cellCL:0000236Cell Typehematopoietic stem cellCL:0000037Cell TypeneutrophilCL:0000775Cell Type19834513PubMedChemical biology of inflammatory cytokine signaling.J Antibiot (Tokyo)2009Kataoka Thelper T cellCL:0000912Cell TypemacrophageCL:0000235Cell Typeplasma cellCL:0000786Cell Typeendothelial cellCL:0000115Cell Typesignaling pathwayPW:0000003Pathway Ontologynatural killer cellCL:0000623Cell TypeeosinophilCL:0000771Cell Type