These organisms affect the maturation and function of the immune system.
In addition to the effect on proliferation, MSCs can further interfere and affect cellular differentiation and maturation and function of the immune cells [ 44, 45, 52, 53].
Although the primary function of chemokines is to promote migration of immune effector cells to sites of inflammation [47], [48], certain chemokines may also influence the maturation and function of the innate immune response [49].
Other recent work shows that gut microbes control the maturation and function of microglia, the immune cells that eliminate unwanted synapses in the brain; it is, therefore, tempting to speculate that age-related changes to gut microbe composition might regulate myelination and synaptic pruning in adolescence and could, therefore, contribute to cognitive development.
The mechanism of steroid action is complex and affects not only foetal lung maturation [6,7] but also regulation of foetal growth, organ system maturation and the functions of the immune system and sympathetic nervous system [8].
These changes suggest alterations may occur in the clonal selection, proliferation and the subsequent maturation of B-lymphocyte populations, challenging the current dogma that scrapie infection does not impinge upon the normal function of the immune system.
The concept of immune dysfunction related to both local and systemic immunosuppression has been repeatedly demonstrated in advanced RCC. 46 In preclinical studies, VEGF inhibits the maturation and function of dendritic cell, 47 and IFN-α can induce maturation and cytokine production 48 by this cell population.
TGF-β enables the tumor to efficiently evade immune surveillance by potently suppressing the maturation and function of DCs, which leads to a deficiency in antigen presentation and immune response (Grauer et al., 2007).
Maturation and function of DCs were analyzed because DCs play a key role in regulating the immune function of the body.
GM-CSF has attracted considerable interest as an immune adjuvant by its ability to increase the maturation and function of DCs and macrophages.
The impaired function of the premature immune system has multiple causes: lack of immunoglobulins [8] and antimicrobial peptides [9], low levels of circulating complement factors, and lack in total number and maturation of immune cells [10].
