Fever and acute-phase responses
Antigen presenting cells, including phagocytes as in bacterial infections (see above) and virus-infected cells and many cancer cells, and T- and B lymphocytes produce a range of non-antibody signal peptides and inflammatory mediators which, if proteins, are called cytokines. These mediators attract and modulate the functions of cells engaged in infectious and other immunoinflammatory processes, including endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells and fibroblasts. Some cytokines, notably the interferons, directly modulate cellular responses to virus infection..
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