UNIT 1: NATURE OF THE IMMUNE SYSTEM

PART 4: SPECIFIC IMMUNITY

 ORGANIZATION OF THE IMMUNE SYSTEM

Immune
System

Innate Adaptive
Immunity Immunity

Cellular Humoral Cell-mediated Humoral

components components Response Response

Cellular Humoral Cellular Humoral

components components components components
 SPECIFIC IMMUNE PATHWAY

• Also known as adaptive or acquired immunity

• Concerned with the recognition of certain foreign material
known as antigens and how the immune system can be
stimulated to make a very specific immune response leading
to their destruction
• Characteristics
• Specificity
• Memory
• Slower initially, then faster upon repeated antigen
exposure
• This path branches into the humoral response and the
cell-mediated response
 CELLS OF
THE
ADAPTIVE
IMMUNE
SYSTEM

Lymphocyte

T cells B cells

T cytotoxic T regulatory/ Plasma cells

T helper (CD4) (CD8) suppressor
 LYMPHOPOIESIS OVERVIEW

Primary Lymphoid Secondary Lymphoid

Organs Organs

1. Bone marrow: B cells 1. Spleen

2. Thymus: T cells 2. Lymph nodes
3. Others – see slide 18
 LYMPHOPOIESIS:
B CELLS

Bone marrow:
• Learn self from non-self
• Random recombination of
DNA to make surface
IgM
• Antigen independent
development
 LYMPHOPOIESIS:
B CELLS

Secondary/peripheral
lymphoid organs:
• B cell matures fully in the
spleen: surface IgM and
IgD
• Then circulates around as
a naïve B cell
• Antigen dependent
multiplication and
differentiation
 MATURE B CELL

IgM IgD

CD19 CD21

CD20 MHC II
 LYMPHOPOIESIS:
T CELLS

• Lymphocyte precursors
migrate from the bone
marrow to the thymus
• TCR/CD3 complex
• Positive selection
• Negative selection
 LYMPHOPOIESIS:
T CELLS

3 main types of mature T cells:

1. T helper (CD4+)
2. T cytotoxic (CD8+)
3. T regulatory

These cells get to graduate from thymus

school and exit into circulation
 T HELPER CELL

TCR/CD3 complex
CD3

TCR

CD4
 T CYTOTOXIC CELL

TCR/CD3 complex
CD3

TCR

CD8
 T REGULATORY CELL

• Also known as “ Treg” or T suppressor cell

• Important control mechanism to shut off
the immune response and keep it localized
• Will destroy self cells
 SECONDARY/PERIPHERAL LYMPHOID
ORGANS

• Cells circulate around and make stops in these organs

waiting to bump into a foreign antigen that matches with
either the
• TCR on T cells or the
• IgM/IgD on B cells
• If an encounter occurs, antigen-dependent lymphopoiesis
takes place
• Either by a humoral response or a cell-mediated response (or
both)
 SECONDARY LYMPHOID
ORGAN: SPLEEN

• Largest secondary lymphoid

organ
• Highly vascularized – major site
for lymphocyte surveillance of
foreign antigens in the blood
• Red pulp – removes old RBCs
• White pulp– lymphoid tissue
• Both T and B cells present but
they are segregated
 SECONDARY
LYMPHOID ORGAN:
LYMPH NODES

• Spread throughout the

body, esp. numerous in
neck and where arms and
legs join trunk
• Filter interstitial fluid
• Allows opportunity for T
and B cells to encounter
foreign antigens coming
from the tissues
• Lymphadenopathy – sign
of immune cell activation
 OTHER SECONDARY LYMPHOID
ORGANS/TISSUES

• Appendix
• Tonsils
• MALT: gastrointestinal, respiratory,
urogenital tracts
• Peyer’s patches – specialized type of
MALT in lower ileum
• CALT: skin
HUMORAL VS. CELL-MEDIATED
IMMUNITY
 HUMORAL VS. CELL-MEDIATED OVERVIEW

HUMORAL CELL-MEDIATED
Cells involved APCs, plasma cells, T cytotoxic and T
T helper cells helper cells
MHC class involved II I

Antigen stimulus Exogenous antigens Endogenous antigens

Antibody production? Yes No

Direct cell lysis? No Yes

 HUMORAL RESPONSE

Begins with:
Antigen-presenting cell internalizing antigen
• This can be a B cell, monocyte, macrophage, or
dendritic cell
• Sees an exogenous antigen, binds to it, and brings
it inside
• Breaks it down into pieces
• Presents the antigen on its surface coupled with its
MHC class II complex
 ANTIGEN PRESENTATION:
B CELLS

• Antigen recognition made

possible by surface
IgM IgD immunoglobulins
• Relies on cytokines for
activation
• Results in proliferation and
differentiation
ANTIGEN PRESENTATION:
B CELLS

Activation of B
cell

Thymus-Indepe
Thymus-Depen
ndent
dent Response
Response

Self-activation;
TH
Macrophages
give signals
give signals
 B CELL:
THYMUS-DEPENDENT RESPONSE
Ag

CD4

MHC
II

Ag
B cell Ag THelper

TCR/CD3 complex

Ag
Cytokines
 B CELL:
THYMUS-DEPENDENT RESPONSE

Plasma cells
• B cells that receive certain signals
will differentiate (transform) into
plasma cells
• Plasma cells make and secrete
antibodies that will recognize
that same inciting antigen upon
subsequent exposures
• Plasma cells not normally found in
peripheral blood circulation – live
in either the bone marrow or
secondary lymphoid tissue
 HUMORAL RESPONSE:
OTHER ANTIGEN PRESENTING CELLS

• Other APCs (monocytes, macrophages, dendritic

cells) bind antigen and present it to T helpers
• Activated T helper recruits B cells to the area
(chemotaxis)
• Chances are at some point there will be a B cell
receptor (IgM/IgD) in the vicinity that matches that
exogenous antigen which was initially picked up by
the APC
• B cell meets up with a clone of the activated T helper
• Plasma cells and memory cells are made as discussed
previously
 HUMORAL RESPONSE:
OTHER ANTIGEN PRESENTING
CELLS
 HUMORAL RESPONSE:
OTHER ANTIGEN PRESENTING CELLS

How do monocytes/macrophages and dendritic cells

internalize antigens?

Bacteria Bacteria

Antibody Complement

Fc C’
receptor receptor

APC APC
 CELL-MEDIATED RESPONSE

• Switching gears! This is the other pathway of

the adaptive immune response

Differences from humoral response:

• T cytotoxic cells (CD8+)
• MHC class I
• Endogenous antigens
• Cytolysis
 CELL-MEDIATED RESPONSE

CD8

MHC
I
Self-cell TCytotoxic
Ag

TCR/CD3 complex
T CYTOTOXIC
ACTIVATION