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=<p>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.</p>