Producing, sensing and responding to cellular stress in immunity

Book excerpt: Cellular stress, being considered as any disturbance in cellular physiology, is a fundamental aspect of tissue and body capacity to adapt to the ever changing environment. It also surges as a consequence of tissue injury or invasion of the body by pathogens. Since the immune system was developed to sense and respond to these deleterious processes, it is reasonable to consider that immune cells are capable of sensing and responding to signs of cellular stress. Moreover, cells of the immune system undergo cellular stress during an immune response. This Research Topic presents a series of articles focusing on how cellular stress influences the outcome of immune responses, covering not only how cellular stress can be a fundamental process during immune cell activation and function, but also how cells of the immune system are capable of sensing and being influenced by factors produced by stressed cells.