Involvement of tumor endothelial marker 8 (TEM8) in proangiogenic and cell-migratory programs

The mammalian immune system is composed of many cell types and mediators that interact with non-immune cells and each other in complex and dynamic networks to ensure protection against foreign pathogens, while simultaneously maintaining tolerance towards self-antigens. Based on antigen specificity and timing of activation, the immune system is composed of two distinct compartments — adaptive and innate. Innate immune cells including dendritic cells (DCs), macrophages, neutrophils, basophils, eosinophils, natural killer (NK) and mast cells are the first line of defence against foreign pathogens. The unique characteristic of innate immune cells — their inherent ability to rapidly respond when tissue injury occurs, without memory of previous assaults or antigen specificity — is a defining feature that sets them apart from adaptive immune cells. Adaptive immune cells, B and T lymphocytes, produced by stem cells in the bone marrow, mature in the thymus and/or lymph nodes and ensure that most mammals that survive an initial infection by a pathogen are generally immune to further illness caused by that same pathogen.