Adaptive (acquired, Specific) immunity

Adaptive immunity refers to antigen-specific defense mechanisms that

take several days to become protective and are designed to react with and
remove a specific antigen. This is the immunity one develops throughout
life.

Adaptive immunity is flexible, specific, and has immunological

memory, that is, it can respond more rapidly and vigorously on a second
exposure to an antigen.
Immunologic memory provides a more powerful response to a repeated
exposure to the same foreign substance or antigen.
key features of the adaptive immunity
‘specificity + memory’
Cells and molecules of the Adaptive Immune Responses
 Lymphocytes:
– pluripotent stem cells...
– B Cells (bone marrow)
– T Cells (thymus)
– Macrophages
Immune Recognition Molecules:
 Antigen: a foreign molecule that
elicits a response by
lymphocytes (virus, bacteria,
fungus, protozoa, parasitic worms)
 Antibodies: antigen-binding immunoglobulin,
produced by B cells
 Antigen receptors: plasma membrane
receptors on B and
T cells
T Cell Receptor (TCR), B Cell Receptor (BCR), Major Histocompatibility
Complex (MHC)
 Principles of Adaptive Immune Responses

• Specific recognition of individual antigens by

immune cells via antigen receptors
• Clonal selection and expansion occurring after antigenic
recognition- PRIMARY IMMUNITY
– Generation of effector T cells and B cells + Memory T and B cells
• Later exposure to the same antigen: SECONDARY
(MEMORY) RESPONSE
– Rapid proliferation of memory cells
 Types of Adaptive Immunity
 Cell-mediated immunity (CMI):

Refers to T-cell mediated immune response via

– Direct lysis of target (infected) cells
– Production of cytokines that activate infected cells to kill
pathogens
Cytotoxic T cell (Tc), Helper T cells (TH)
Defense against intracellular pathogens and pathogens that
reside inside vesicles of the cell; help to eradicate extracellular
bacteria, viruses
 Humoral immunity:
Refers to antibody-mediated immune response produced by B
cells with the help from TH2 cell
– Antibodies bind to whole or fractions of antigens outside
cells
– Antibodies neutralize and eradicate extracellular pathogens
and toxins
 Phases of Adaptive Immunity
Sequential Phases:
 antigen presentation to lymphocytes
 antigen recognition by lymphocytes
 activation of the lymphocytes to proliferate and to
differentiate into effector and memory cells
 elimination of the microbes
 decline of the immune response
 long-lived memory
Specificity & Memory– properties of the adaptive immunity
Specificity : Ability to recognize and respond to a specific antigen
among many different microbes antigens
Memory : Enhanced responses to recurrent or persistent infections

“Specificity and Memory” in adaptive immunity

• 1st infection  memory  2nd infection
slow response fast response

pathogen proliferate pathogen killed

disease no disease
symptoms no symptom
Illustration of Specificity & Memory in adaptive immunity

Memory
Cells
Naive Primary
Naive
lymph Response
Cells
-ocyte
 Immunological memory & vaccination

• Natural infections:
1st infection  memory  2nd infection
slow response fast response
pathogens multiply pathogens disposed
Symptoms/disease no disease

• Vaccination  memory  nature infections

no disease fast response
pathogens disposed
no disease
 Vaccination protects us from infection by
inducing the adaptive immune response, but
by passing the need for a primary infection
 Immunological Memory

Active memory and immunization

• The Ability of the immune system to respond
more rapidly and effectively to specific
pathogens that have been encountered
previously – either by previous infection or by
vaccination
• Reflection of the the pre-existence of clonally
expanded lymphocytes (population, pool) with
specificity for the antigen.
Passive memory (immunity)
 Immunity that is present without prior exposure to microbes
 Derived from the mother either in uterus or through the milk
During pregnancy, a particular type of antibody, called IgG, is
transported from mother to baby directly across the placenta.
Human babies thus have high levels of antibodies even at birth,
with the same range of antigen specificities as their mother.
Breast milk also contains antibodies that are transferred to the
gut of the infant and protect against bacterial infections until
the
newborn can synthesize its own antibodies.
 The passive immunity is usually short-term, lasting from a few
days up to several months
 In medicine, protective passive immunity can also be transferred
artificially from one individual to another via antibody-rich serum