Preview

Humoral and cell-mediated immunity

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1235 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Humoral and cell-mediated immunity
Humoral immunity

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Humoral immunity (also called the antibody-mediated system) is the aspect of immunity that is mediated by macromolecules (as opposed to cell-mediated immunity) found in extracellular fluids such as secreted antibodies, complement proteins and certain antimicrobial peptides. Humoral immunity is so named because it involves substances found in the humours, or body fluids.
The study of the molecular and cellular components that comprise the immune system, including their function and interaction, is the central science of immunology. The immune system is divided into a more primitive innate immune system, and acquired or adaptive immune system of vertebrates, each of which contains humoral and cellular components.
Humoral immunity refers to antibody production and the accessory processes that accompany it, including: Th2 activation and cytokine production, germinal center formation andisotype switching, affinity maturation and memory cell generation. It also refers to the effector functions of antibody, which include pathogen and toxin neutralization, classicalcomplement activation, and opsonin promotion of phagocytosis and pathogen elimination.[1]

History[edit]
The concept of humoral immunity developed based on analysis of antibacterial activity of the components of serum. Hans Buchner is credited with the development of the humoral theory.[2] In 1890 he described alexins, or “protective substances”, which exist in the serum and other bodily fluid and are capable of killing microorganisms. Alexins, later redefined "complement" by Paul Ehrlich, were shown to be the soluble components of the innate response that lead to a combination of cellular and humoral immunity, and bridged the features of innate and acquired immunity.[2]
Following the 1888 discovery of diphtheria and tetanus, Emil von Behring and Kitasato Shibasaburō showed that disease need not be caused by microorganisms themselves. They

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    case study 3

    • 665 Words
    • 3 Pages

    IgA – antibodies that are secreted across mucus layer to prevent microbes from penetrating cell bodies…

    • 665 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Naturally acquired active immunity occurs when the person is exposed to a live pathogen, develops the disease, and becomes immune as a result…

    • 585 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    CHAPTER 35

    • 3339 Words
    • 14 Pages

    Which type of immunity becomes active as a result of the infection of a specific microorganism?…

    • 3339 Words
    • 14 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Autism and Biology

    • 1048 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Goines, P., & Van de Water, J. (2010). The immune system’s role in the biology of…

    • 1048 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ch. 43 Ap Biology

    • 807 Words
    • 4 Pages

    the role of phagocytic leukocytes is to engulf invading microorganisms that have gone through the external defense.…

    • 807 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Biology Cheat Sheet

    • 1351 Words
    • 6 Pages

    | * Are only found on certain cells (usually B cells, macrophages and dendritic cells) * These cells are generally known as antigen presenting cells (APCs) * These antigens presented in this case were taken in and degraded by these cells (by endocytosis or phagocytosis) * The foreign material is broken down, and antigens displayed on the cell surface via Class II MHC molecules * Helper T cells recognise antigens displayed in this way…

    • 1351 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    A remarkable breakthrough in medicine occurred in the late 1800s through the work of Louis Pasteur. Pasteur's experiments showed that bacteria reproduce like other living things and travel from place to place. Using the results of his findings, he developed pasteurization, which is the process of heating liquids to kill bacteria and prevent fermentation. He also produced an anthrax vaccine as well as a way to weaken the rabies virus. After studying Pasteur's work, Joseph Lister developed antisepsis, which is the process of killing disease-causing germs. In 1865 before an operation, he cleansed a leg wound first with carbolic acid, and performed the surgery with sterilized (by heat) instruments. The wound healed, and the patient survived. Prior to surgery, the patient would've needed an amputation. However, by incorporating these antiseptic procedures in all of his surgeries, he decreased postoperative deaths. The use of antiseptics eventually helped reduce bacterial infection not only in surgery but also in childbirth and in the treatment of battle wounds. Another man that made discoveries that reinforced those of Pasteur's was Robert Koch. Robert Koch isolated the germ that causes tuberculosis, identified the germ responsible for Asiatic cholera, and developed sanitary measures to prevent disease. (1)…

    • 753 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Fantastic Voyage

    • 1359 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Thibodeau, G. A., & Patton, K. T. (2006). The Lymphatic System and Immunity. St. Louis: Mosby.…

    • 1359 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Antibodies are specialized proteins which are secreted by B cells in a response to non-self antigens. Antibodies are made up of four polypeptide chains which are held together by disulphide bridges. There are two longer and two shorter chains which look like the letter “Y”. The ends of the antibodies have a variable region which is specific to a particular antigen. An antigen and antibody are complementary to each other and form an antigen-antibody complex. The structure of this protein is related to its function as the complexes then clump together, and then digested by white blood cells (phagocytes?).…

    • 1015 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    INFECTION AND IMMUNITY, Apr. 2005, p. 2184–2189 0019-9567/05/$08.00 0 doi:10.1128/IAI.73.4.2184–2189.2005 Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.…

    • 6157 Words
    • 25 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The LE Exam consists of approximately 70-75 questions worth a total of 85 points. The exam is broken down into 4 parts:…

    • 4406 Words
    • 18 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Anatomy and Physiology

    • 3584 Words
    • 15 Pages

    Contains a U- or an S-shaped nucleus; granules stain very dark; releases histamine and heparin.…

    • 3584 Words
    • 15 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    | The common cold occurs regularly in the United States. The occurrence of this disease is best described as…

    • 4132 Words
    • 17 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    AP Immune System Essay

    • 4544 Words
    • 19 Pages

    * Some macrophages migrate throughout the body, while others reside permanently in certain tissues, including the lung, liver, kidney, connective tissue, brain, and especially in lymph nodes and the spleen.…

    • 4544 Words
    • 19 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    |2nd |Surrounding cells leak fluid that affects the blood |An immediate local innate response in the infected tissues |…

    • 492 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays

Related Topics