Defense Mechanism of Body

Part-2

Lecture # 9

Mentor
Aleena Khan, Lecturer
College of Nursing, Islamabad
 Objective of Today’s Lecture

• Adaptive Immunity
i. Antigenic specificity
ii. Diversity
iii. Immunologic memory
iv. Self/Non-self recognition
• B Lymphocytes
• Primary and Secondary response
• T Lymphocytes
• Antigen presenting cells
• Humoral and cell mediated Immunity
 Adaptive Immunity

• It is a mechanism that demonstrates specificity and memory.

• Adaptive immune response is generated within 4-7 days of the initial exposure to the
pathogen.

• The specificity demonstrated by the adaptive response warrants the time it takes to
organize it self. And hence, innate immunity provides the first line non-specific of defense
to manage the pathogen.

• Failure to clear the pathogen results in the trigger of the adaptive immune response

• Unlike innate immune responses, adaptive immune responses are not the same in all
members of a species but are reactions to specific antigenic challenges
 Adaptive Immunity

Adaptive Immunity demonstrates four characteristic properties, which are as

follows :

• Antigenic specificity
Ability to distinguish minute differences among antigens
• Diversity
Capable of recognizing billions of unique structures on foreign
antigens
• Immunologic memory
Second encounter with the same antigen induces a heightened state
of immune response and so can confer life-long immunity to many
infectious agents after initial encounter
• Self/Non-self recognition
Responds only to foreign antigens
 Adaptive Immunity is not
independent of innate immunity

• It is important to understand that both innate and adaptive immunity work together
in a co-operative and consistent manner with adequate cellular and
molecular interaction towards eliminating the foreign body. Their functions
are not independent of each other

• Both types of immunity are interdependent

• Through the strict regulation of adaptive and innate immunity, two system
work together to eliminate a foreign invader
 Cells of the Immune System

An effective immune system involves two major types of cells

• Lymphocytes

• Antigen presenting cells

 Lymphocytes

• Lymphocytes are blood cells (WBCs) that are produced by

process of haematopoiesis.

• Lymphocytes leave the bone marrow, circulate in the blood and

lymphatic systems, and reside in various lymphoid organs

• Lymphocytes produce and display surface receptors for antigen

binding and they also mediate the properties of immunity

• There are two major types of lymphocyte population namely,

✔ B lymphocytes (B cells)
✔ T lymphocytes (T cells)
 B lymphocytes

• B cells mature within the bone marrow, when they leave it, each expresses a
unique antigen-binding receptor on its membrane

• This antigen-binding or B-cell receptor is membrane-bound antibody molecule

• When an antigen matches the membrane-bound antibody, the binding of the

antigen to the antibody causes the cell to divide rapidly; its progeny
differentiate into memory B cells and effector B cells called plasma cells
 B lymphocytes

• Memory B cells have a longer life-span than naïve cells and they express
the same membrane-bound antibody as their parent B cell

• Plasma cells are the cells that produce secretory antibodies

• Although plasma cells live for only a few days, they produce enormous
amounts of antibody during this time,a single plasma cell can secrete
more than 2000 molecules of antibody per second

• Secreted antibodies are the major effector molecules of the humoral

immunity
What is primary and secondary response?

Primary Response: The primary immune response occurs when an antigen

comes in contact to the immune system for the first time. During this time the
immune system has to learn to recognize antigen and how to make antibody
against it and eventually produce memory lymphocytes.

Secondary Response: The secondary immune response occurs when the second
time (3rd, 4th, etc.) the person is exposed to the same antigen. At this point
immunological memory has been established and the immune system can start
making antibodies immediately.
S.N. Primary immune response Secondary immune response

This occurs as a result of primary contact This occurs as a result of second and subsequent
1.
with an antigen. exposure of the same antigen

2 Responding cell is naïve B-cell and T-cell. Responding cell is memory cell.

Lag phase is often longer (4-7 days), Lag phase is shorter (1-4 days) due to the
3
sometimes as long as weeks or months. presence of memory cell.

Level of antibody reaches peak in 7 to 10

4 Level of antibody reaches peak in 3 to 5 days.
days.

5 It takes longer time to establish immunity. Takes shorter time to establish immunity.

Mainly IgG antibody is produced. Although

First antibody produced is mainly IgM.
sometimes small amount of IgM are produced.
6 Although small amount of IgG are also
Other immunoglobulins such as IgA and in the
produced.
case of allergy IgE are produced.
S.N. Primary immune response Secondary immune response

Amount of antibody produced depends

Usually 100-1000 times more antibodies are
7 on nature of antigen. Usually produced
produced.
in low amount.

8 Antibody level declines rapidly. Antibody level remain high for longer period.

Affinity of antibody is lower for its

9. Antibodies have greater affinity for antigen.
antigen.

Secondary response appears mainly in the

Primary response appears mainly in the
10 bone marrow, followed by the spleen and
lymph nodes and spleen.
lymph nodes.

Both Thymus dependent and Thymus

Only Thymus-dependent antigen gives
11 independent antigen gives primary
secondary immune response.
immune response.
 T lymphocytes (T cells)

• T cells also arise in bone marrow, but they do not mature within bone
marrow

• T cells migrate to Thymus gland to mature

• During maturation, T cells comes to express a unique antigen-binding

molecule called the T-cell receptor on its membrane

• Unlike membrane-bound antibodies on B cells which can recognize

antibodies alone, T-cell receptors can recognize only antigen that is bound
to cell-membrane proteins called major histocompatibility complex
(MHC) molecules
 T lymphocytes (T cells)

• There are two major types of MHC molecules:

Class I MHC molecules
Class II MHC molecules

• Class I MHC molecules are expressed by nearly all

nucleated cell

• Class II MHC molecules are only expressed by antigen-

presenting cells
 T lymphocytes (T cells)
• When a naïve T cell encounters antigen combined with a MHC molecule on a cell,
the T cell proliferates and differentiates into memory T cells and various effector
T cells

• There are two well defined populations of T cells:

T helper (T H)
T cytotoxic (TC )

• A third type of T cell, T suppressor (TS) has also been postulated but recent
evidence suggests it may not be distinct form T H and T C subpopulations

• TH and T C cells can be distinguished from one another by the presence of either
CD4 or CD8 membrane glycoproteins on their surfaces
• T cells displaying CD4 generally function as T H cells whereas those displaying CD8
generally function as T C cells
MHC peptide presentation along with co-stimulatory ligand/
receptor binding
 T lymphocytes (T cells)

• After a TH cell recognizes and interacts with an antigen-MHC class II

molecule complex, the cell is activated – it becomes an effector cell that
secretes various growth factors known as cytokines
• The secreted cytokines play an important role in activating B cells, TC cells,
macrophages and various other cells that participate in the immune response
• Under the influence of TH-derived cytokines, a TC cell that recognizes an
antigen-MHC class I molecule complex proliferates and differentiates into an
effector cell called a cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL)
• In contrast to TC cell, CTL generally does not secrete many cytokines and
instead exhibit cell-killing or cytotoxic activity
• Cells that display foreign antigen complexed with a class I MHC molecule are
calledaltered self-cells ; these are targets of CTLs
Helper T cells and B Cell Interactions
 Antigen-Presenting Cells (APC)
• Antigen presenting cells are specialized cells, which include macrophages, B
lymphocytes and dendritic cells are distinguished by two properties:

1. They express class II MHC molecules on their

membranes
2. They are able to deliver a co-stimulatory signal that is necessary for T H-
cell activation
• APC first internalize antigen, either by phagocytosis or by endocytosis, and
then display a part of that antigen on their membrane bound to class II MHC
molecule
• The TH cell recognizes and interacts with the antigen- class II MHC molecule
complex on the membrane of antigen-presenting cells
• An additional co-stimulatory signal is then produced by the antigen-presenting
cell leading to activation on the TH cell
 Branches of Adaptive Immunity
Adaptive immunity includes two branches:

• Humoral Immune Response: It involves

the activation and clonal selection of B-
cells by extracellular or exogenous
antigens, resulting in the production of
antibodies

• Cell-mediated Immune Response: the

activation and clonal selection of
cytotoxic T-cells mainly by intracellular
pathogens, cancerous cells and
transplanted tissues or organs
Helping Material:

https://microbeonline.com/difference-between-b-cells-t-cells/

https://microbiologynotes.com/differences-between-primary-and-secondary-immune-
response/

https://geekymedics.com/immune-response/

https://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/mcat/organ-systems/the-immune-system/
a/adaptive-immunity