Lymphocytes

 adaptive immunity
o gives memory to protect/clear infections
o features;
 needs time to develop
 specific
 has memory
 improves efficacy of innate immune response
o clonal selection
 drives specificity
o 2 types
 humoral
 B cells make antibodies
 cell-mediated
 cytokines
o antigens
 large pool of cells with specific receptors needed
 antigen receptor diversity through recombination
o immunoglobin gene rearrangement
 generates diversity of lymphocyte repertoire
o gene segments are rearranged and brought together
 each BCR receptor chain is encoded by separate
multi-gene families in different chromosomes
 10^10 different antibodies
 B cells and antibodies
 recognise structural epitopes
 T cells
 recognise linear epitopes (the region of
an antigen which the receptor binds to)
 B cells
o at the centre of the adaptive humoral immune
system
o prenatally
 early B cell development occurs in the fetal
liver, before continuing in the bone marrow
throughout life
o immunoglobins
 2 identical heavy chains and 2 identical light
chain is joined by disulphide bond
 Core functions;
 complement activation
 opsonization
 neutralisation
 2 pathways of antibody production;
 T-helper cell stimulated;
o Thymus dependant
 o All IG classes
o has memory
 microbial constituents
o only IgM
o thymus independent
o no memory
 development;
 heavy chain rearrangement
o in
 common lymphoid progenitors
 pre-pro B cells
o D-J recombination
o V-DJ recombination

 yields of functional heavy chain protein in large pre-

B cell
 formation of a pre-B cell receptor
o expressed on cell surface
o recombined heavy chain associate with surrogate light
chains and the Ig α/β dimer
  intense proliferation
and differentiation into
small pre-cell stage
o through
signalling
through the
pre-BCR
 T cells
o the T cell receptor
 the linear epitope --
recognises antigen fragments
presented by other cells
 the variable region -- made
by gene reassortment

o 2 types
 CD4 +
 SEE IMMUNE TOLERANCE
 some autoimmune conditions – TH1 driven
  allergy and asthma – TH2 driven

 CD8 +
 recognise peptides presented by MHC I molecule (which is found in all
nucleated cells)
o immune defence
o tumour surveillance
 secretes/releases perforin, granzymes, granulysin
 3 major mechanisms of apoptosis by cytotoxic T cells;
o secretion of
cytokines Antitumour and antiviral microbial effects
 TNF-α
 IFN-γ
o production and release of cytotoxic granules
 perforins
 Polymerase
 Forms a pore in the membrane
o Similar to MAC formed by
complement
 Allows granzymes to enter
 Granzymes
 Serine proteases
 Cleave proteins within cell
o Fas/FasL ineractions
o the major histocompatibility complex
 Polygenic
 Function;
  present antigens to T cells
 plays a major role in determining self and and non-self
 encoded by HLA genes in humans
 critical in surgery and in a matching
 MHC gene expression;
 several Loci
 codominance
o maternal and paternal genes both expressed
 2 classes;
o class I
 all nucleated cells
 continually presents proteins cell is making
 levels may be altered, in cases of;
 infection
 varies cell by cell
o class II
 normally only on professional antigen presenting
cell
 may be regulated
by cytokines