Adaptive/Acquired Immunity

IMMUNOLOGY
 Adaptive immunity
Refers to antigen-specific defense
mechanisms that take several days to
become protective and are designed to
remove a specific antigen. This is the
immunity one develops throughout life.

There are two major branches of the

adaptive immune responses: humoral
immunity and cell-mediated immunity.
 Humoral Immunity
• humoral immunity involves the production of
antibody molecules in response to an antigen and
is mediated by B-lymphocytes.

Cell Mediated Immunity

· CMI involves production of cytotoxic T-lymphocytes,
activated macrophages, activated NK cells and
cytokines in
response to an antigen and is mediated by T-
lymphocytes.
 Antigens
• Ags are molecules that elicit an immune
response in the body
• Ags can be:
– Proteins
– Polysaccharides
– Conjugates of lipids with
• Proteins (lipoproteins)
• Polysaccharides (glycolipids)
 Antigens II
• Ags that enter body from environment include:
– Inhaled macromolecules; e.g., cat hair proteins asthma
– Ingested macromolecules; e.g. shellfish proteins allergy
– Molecules introduced beneath the skin; e.g. splinter, vaccine
– Exogenous antigens
· Ags generated within the cells of the host:
- Proteins encoded by viral genes that have infected a cell
- Aberrant proteins that are encoded by mutant genes; e.g.
proteins from mutated genes in cancer cells
- Endogenous antigens
Antigen Presentation
Initial immune response to any
Ag requires the Ag be recognized
by a T cell.
This is best exemplified by AIDS
w/loss of CD4+ T cells.
Two categories of Ags are
processed and presented to T cells
Dendritic cell by different mechanisms:
B cell
Exogenous Ags
Endogenous Ags

T cell activated; cytokines released;

Th1, activate M; Th2, activate B cells
 Exogenous antigens
• E. Ag’s (inhaled, ingested, injected), taken up
by APCs:
– Phagocytic cells; dendritic cells, macrophages
– B lymphocytes (produce antibodies)
• APCs
 engulf Ags by endocytosis (endosome-lysosome)
 Ag degraded into short peptides
 peptides displayed at cell surface nestled w/i a
class II histocompatibility molecule
 recognized by CD4+ T cells
Endogenous Antigens
• Ags that are generated w/i a cell; e.g.,
Mt bug, viral proteins in infected cells

• Peptides displayed at cell surface

nestled w/I a class I histocompatibility
molecule
• Recognized by CD8+ T cells
• CD8+ T cells are cytotoxic
• Have machinery to destroy infected cell

T cell activated; kills infected cell

B Lymphocytes: A Special Case
• Process Ag by MHC II pathway but:
• B cells engulf Ag by receptor mediated
endocytosis
• BCRs are surface antibodies anchored in
plasma membrane
• Affinity of BCR for an Ag epitope is so
high that the B cell can internalize the Ag
at concentrations thousands of times
smaller than needed for a macrophage
• CD4+ T cell recognizes displayed Ag and
is stimulated to release cytokines
• These stimulate B cells to grow into a
clone of cells; plasma cells
• These plasma cells synthesize BCRs with
identical binding site for the Ag epitope
but w/o the transmembrane tail
• The Abs are secreted

release Th2 cytokines

Types of T cells