The article highlights the complex interactions cells have with their environment, showcasing both harmful effects, such as infections from pathogens, and the protective responses of immune systems. Examples include virus attacks on bacterial cells and bacterial diseases in humans.
The article discusses the various ways that the outside environment can have an impact on cells, which includes both positive and negative effects. Pathogens such as viruses and bacteria represent harmful challenges from the environment.
The mammalian immune system demonstrates how the body has evolved defenses to protect itself from these pathogens. Viruses and bacteria, as seen in the examples provided in the article, have different mechanisms of affecting host cells, whether by infection, replication, or causing disease.
Viruses that infect Escherichia coli bacteria and the example of bacteria attacking human red blood cells illustrate how the environment can hurt cells by causing diseases such as relapsing fever. On the other hand, this interaction with the environment also highlights the importance of the immune system and other cell mechanisms that help protect the organism.
Environmental cues are critical for cellular behavior, significantly influencing the physical interactions, function, and fate of cells. Furthermore, the article mentions an experiment that illustrates how bacteria can quickly adapt to deadly conditions, demonstrating the complex relationship between cells and their environment. This relationship underscores the necessity of understanding how cells operate within specific physical contexts irrespective of simplicity or complexity.
The probable question may be from the article "Cell Biology of Infection".