Chapter 5
Immunity
Learning Objectives
• explain what is meant by the term antigen and state the difference between self
antigens and non-self antigens
• describe the mode of action of macrophages and neutrophils
• describe what happens during a primary immune response and explain the role of
memory cells in long-term immunity
• explain how the molecular structure of antibodies is related to their functions
• describe the differences between the different types of immunity: active and
passive and natural and artificial
• explain that vaccines contain antigens that stimulate immune responses to provide
long-term immunity and how vaccination programmes are used to control the
spread of infectious diseases.
Phagocytes
• Produced throughout life in the bone marrow.
• They are scavengers, removing any dead cells as well as invasive
microorganisms. – By phagocytosis
• Involved in non-specific self-defense
• 2 types of phagocytes
• Neutrophils
• Monocyte Macrophage
• Appearance
• Lobed nuclei
• Granular cytoplasm
Mode of action of macrophage
Mode of action of
neutrophil
• If pathogens invade the body and cause an infection, some
of the cells under attack respond by releasing chemicals
such as histamine.
• These, together with any chemicals released by the
pathogens themselves, attract passing neutrophils to the
site.
• This movement towards a chemical stimulus is called
chemotaxis
• The neutrophils move towards the pathogens, which may
be clustered together and covered in antibodies.
• The antibodies further stimulate the neutrophils to attack
the pathogens.
• This is because neutrophils have receptor proteins on their
surfaces that recognise antibody molecules and attach to
them.
Mode of action of
neutrophil
• The neutrophils destroy the pathogens by
phagocytosis
• When the neutrophil attaches to the pathogens, the
neutrophil’s cell surface membrane engulfs the
pathogens, and traps them within a phagocytic
vacuole in a process called endocytosis.
• Lysosomes fuse with the phagocytic vacuoles
releasing enzymes that breakdown the pathogens.
• Neutrophils have a short life: after killing and
digesting some pathogens, they die.
• Dead neutrophils often collect at a site of infection
to form pus.
Lymphocytes
Maturation of B-Lymphocytes
Origin and maturation of B-lymphocytes
• As they mature in bone marrow, the cells
become capable of secreting one type of
antibody molecule with a specific shape.
• Some of these molecules become receptor
proteins in the cell surface membrane and act
like markers.
• By the time of a child’s birth, there are millions
of different B cells, each with specific B cell
receptors.
• The diagram shows just four of these.
Plasma Cells
Action of antibodies
C
Memory Cells
• The role of B-lymphocytes
during an immune
response.
• X, Y and Z are cells from
three clones of B-
lymphocytes
Molecular structure of antibodies
L
Action of antibodies
Maturation of T-Lymphocytes
Origin and maturation of T-lymphocytes.
• As T cells mature in the thymus gland they
produce T cell receptor proteins.
• Each cell has a specific receptor.
• Some cells become T-helper cells, others
become T-killer cells.
The functions of T-lymphocytes during an
immune response.
• T-helper cells and T-killer cells with T-cell
receptor proteins specific to the antigen
respond and divide by mitosis.
• Activated T-helper cells stimulate B cells to
divide and develop into plasma cells
• T-killer cells attach themselves to infected cells
and kill them
Types of Immunity
Herd Immunity
• https://
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Challenges in Vaccination
