Lecture Notes: Adaptive Immune System and Humoral Response

Introduction

• Comparison between immune systems and strategies in World of Warcraft:
  • Know your enemy to defeat it.
  • Uncover weaknesses and recognize threats.
• Overview of innate vs. adaptive immune systems:
  • Innate: Immediate response, non-specific.
  • Adaptive: Specific, learns and remembers pathogens.

Adaptive Immune System

• Activated when a strong threat bypasses innate defenses.
• Requires introduction to specific pathogens.
• Capable of systemic response across the entire body.

Key Features

• Memory: Once adaptive defenses encounter a threat, they remember it.
• Systemic Ability: Can fight infections throughout the entire body.
  • Involves humoral immunity and cellular defenses.

Humoral Immunity

• Dispatches antibodies to fight pathogens in body fluids.
• B lymphocytes originate and mature in bone marrow.
  • Develop immunocompetence and self-tolerance.
  • Mature B cells have unique antibodies to recognize specific antigens.

Antigen Recognition

• Antigens: Invaders or toxins that signal the immune system.
• B lymphocytes bind to antigens via membrane-bound antibodies.
• B cells clone themselves and produce antibodies when activated.

Antibody Function

• Neutralization: Blocks binding sites on pathogens.
• Agglutination: Antibodies clump antigens for easier removal.
  • Attracts phagocytes to destroy clumps.

Immunity Types

• Active Humoral Immunity:
  • Natural: Through infections (e.g., flu, chickenpox).
  • Artificial: Through vaccinations.
• Passive Humoral Immunity:
  • Natural: Through maternal antibodies.
  • Artificial: Through exogenous antibodies (e.g., Ebola serum).

Vaccinations

• Prime the immune system for faster response to returning pathogens.
• Some vaccines provide lifelong immunity, others may need updates.

Conclusion

• B cells and antibodies are crucial in extracellular pathogen defense.
• Passive and active immunity work together in pathogen defense.
• Upcoming discussion on intracellular pathogen defense.

Production Credits

• Acknowledgments to contributors and production team of the lecture content.