AUTHOR=Broderick Nichole A. TITLE=A Common Origin for Immunity and Digestion JOURNAL=Frontiers in Immunology VOLUME=6 YEAR=2015 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2015.00072 DOI=10.3389/fimmu.2015.00072 ISSN=1664-3224 ABSTRACT=

Historically, the digestive and immune systems were viewed and studied as separate entities. However, there are remarkable similarities and shared functions in both nutrient acquisition and host defense. Here, I propose a common origin for both systems. This association provides a new prism for viewing the emergence and evolution of host defense mechanisms.