Introduction to the immune system

dr. Dita Kartika Sari,M.Biomed

Terminology
• Immunity is defined as resistance to disease specifically
infectious disease
• Immune system : collection of cells, tissue and molecules
that mediate resistance to infections
• Immune response : reaction of these cells and molecules
to infectious microbes
• Immunology is the study of the immune system and its
responses to invading pathogens
 The Importance of the Immune System
Role of the immune system
Defense against infections
The immune system recognizes and
responds to tissue grafts and newly
introduced proteins
Defense against tumors
Antibodies are highly specific reagents
for detecting any class of molecules
Implications
Deficient immunity results in increased
susceptibility to infections; exemplified
by AIDS
Vaccination boosts immune defenses
and protects against infections
Immune responses are important
barriers to transplantation and gene
therapy
Potential for immunotherapy of cancer
Immunologic approaches for laboratory
testing are widely used in clinical
medicine and research
Immune Mediated Diseases

• Hypersensitivity
• Autoimmune
• Immune deficiency
• Infection
• Tumor
• Graft Rejection
• Inflammation
General properties of immune
response
 The immune system

Infectious or inflammatory trigger

Innate or natural Acquired or adaptive

response response
Innate and adaptive immunity
 Adaptive (acquired) immunity
• Defence against specific pathogenic agents expressing
specific antigens (proteins inducing an immune response)
• Lymphocytes (T and B cells) respond selectively to antigens,
leading to specific memory that may last a lifetime
 Humoral Immunity

Mechanisms in Rheumatology ©2001

 Propertie of Adaptive Immune Responses

Property Significance for immunity to microbes

Specificity Ability to recognize and respond to

many different microbes
Memory Enhanced responses to recurrent or
persistent infections
Specialization Responses to distinct microbes are
optimized for defense against these
microbes
Non reactivity to Prevent injurious immune responses
selfantigens againsthost cells and tissue
Cells and tissue of the immune system
 Anatomy and functions of lymphoid tissues

• Generative ( primary ) lymphoid organs :

- bone marrow, where all the circulating blood cells
(including lymphocytes) arises and the site of B cells
maturation
- thymus, where T cells mature and reach a state of
functional competence

• Peripheral ( secondary ) lymphoid organs, where

lymphocyte responses to foreign antigens are initiated
and develop : lymph nodes, the spleen, the mucosal
and cutaneous immune systems
Hematopoiesis
Maturation of lymphocyte
Overview of
immune responses
 Summary (1)

• Immune response is mediated by innate and adaptive immunity

(AI). Innate immunity is stimulated by structures shared by groups
of microbes. AI is specific for different antigen and is increased by
repeated exposures to antigen.

• Humoral immunity is mediated by B cells and their secreted

products, antibodies, defence against extracellular microbes. CMI is
mediated by T cells and acrivated macrophages and their products,
such as cytokines, defence against intracellular microbes.

• The immune system possesses several properties : specificity for

different antigens, a diverse repertoire capable of recognizing a wide
variety of antigens, memory for antigen exposure, specialized
responses to different microbes, self-limitation, and self tolerance .
 Summary (2)

• Lymphocytes are the only cells capable of specifically recognizing

antigen, the principal cells of adaptive immunity (AI).

• Specialized APC capture microbial antigen and display these antigen for
recognition by lymphocytes.

• The AI response is initiated by the recognition of foreign antigen by

specific lymphocytes. Lymphocytes respond by proliferating and by
differentiating into effector cells.

• The effector phase of AI requires the participation of various defence

mechanisms, including the complement system and phagocytes. These
mechanisms neutralize and eliminate the microbes and antigen that
elicited the response.
 Summary (3)
• The adaptive immune response depends on Ag-specific lymphocytes,
APCs required for lymphocytes activation, and effector cells that
eliminate antigens

• B and T cells express highly diverse with specific Ag receptors and are
cells responsible for the specifity and memory of AI responses. NK cells
function in innate immune response

• After maturing, B and T ( naive ) cells leave the bone marrow and
thymus, enter the circulation, and populate peripheral lymphoid
organs

• When naive B and T cells encounter Ag they differentiate into effector

cells ( B cells : plasma cells and T cells : CD4+ helper T cells and CD8+
CTLs ) and memory cells.
 Summary (4)
• The organs of the immune system may be divided into the generative
organs , where lymphocytes mature and the peripheral organs, where
naive B and T lymphocytes are activated by antigens
• Lymphocyte recirculation is the process by which lymphocytes
continuously move between sites throughout the body through blood
and lymphatic vessels
• Naive T cells normally recirculate among the various peripheral
lymphoid organs. Efector T cells are recruited to sites of
inflammation. Memory T cells may enter either lymphoid organs or
peripheral tissue
• The process of lymphocyte recirculation is regulated by adhesion
molecules on lymphocytes ( homing receptors ), and their ligands on
vascular endotheial cells ( addressins )
Antibody

• Produced after stimulation of B lymphocyte by

antigens / microbe in peripheral lymphoid organs

• Use their antigen-binding (Fab) region to bind to and

block the harmful effect of microbes and toxin

• Use their Fc regions to activate diverse effector

mechanisms that eliminate these microbes

• Heavy chain class (isotype) switching and affinity

maturation enhanche the protective function
Antibody isotype : specific effector function
• Ig G : Neutralization, Opsonization
Activation of classical pathway of complement
ADCC mediated by NK cells
Neonatal immunity
• IgM : Activation of classical pathway of complement
• Ig A : Mucosal immunity
• Ig E : ADCC mediated by eosinophils
Mast cell degranulation