This post is from a suggested group
The Orchestrators of Immunity: Understanding CytokinesIn the complex biological theater of the human body, survival depends on seamless communication. While the nervous system uses electrical impulses and the endocrine system uses hormones, the immune system relies on a specialized class of signaling proteins known as cytokines. Derived from the Greek words kytos (hollow/vessel) and kinein (to move), cytokines are the "molecular messengers" that coordinate the body’s response to infection, inflammation, and trauma.What are Cytokines?Cytokines are small, soluble proteins—typically less than 30 kDa—secreted by a wide variety of cells, most notably macrophages, B lymphocytes, T
lymphocytes, and mast cells. Unlike hormones, which are produced by specific glands and travel through the bloodstream to distant organs, cytokines usually act locally. They function through autocrine (affecting the cell that secreted them), paracrine (affecting nearby cells), or occasionally endocrine signaling.Major Families and FunctionsThe "language" of cytokines is diverse, with several distinct families serving specialized…