(Edit, I probably posted these two in the wrong order, oh well, a disadvantage of drafting thoughts in notes over time, but the suspect analogy came first)
I think it was Jonathan who asked why these cells would have receptors for interferon gamma? I wondered if it was perhaps it’s a form of protection.
The central nervous system has the blood brain barrier but what about the peripheral? I believe there are other systems here but I haven’t learnt about them yet so here we go
My suspect analogy here is… If I was a peripheral nerve cell doing business, I’d want to be really ‘efficient’, maybe cut a few corners in the good times and be lax on security, let lots in and out with minimal fuss. But, if I caught wind of something dodgy in the vicinity I’d probably be a lot more careful, possibly to the detriment of that efficiency and primary function, just to be on the safe side.
Maybe I’d have my own security system and bouncers, not entirely rely on the local police. And if I had to stop punters coming in for a bit but it saved me from getting smashed tables and chairs and a big cleaning bill, maybe that would be okay.
So these nerves may have some receptors like FcγRI or other, and when they get triggered, he cell becomes less permeable or more defensive in a way, puts the guardrails up a notch.
Maybe this is why we feel tired when ill, parts of our peripheral nervous system are deliberately becoming less efficient for self protection, both at a cellular level and also if we rest we’re unlikely to do ourselves more damage, so maybe more likely to recover. An adaptive advantage?