Chapter 1: Propertee and Overview of Immune Reeponeee
Book: Cellular and Molecular Immunology by Abul K. Abbas, Andrew H. Lichtman, and Shiv Pillai; ninth
edition; Elsevier; pages 1-10.
Immunity means protecton from diseases, more specifcaaal, infectoos diseases. The immune
eyetem refers to the ceaas and moaecoaes responsibae for immonitl consttote. The response of the
immone slstem to foreign sobstances is caaaed the immune reeponee. In most cases, infectoos
microbes initate the immone slstem; however, even non-infectoos foreign sobstances and prodocts
of damaged ceaas can eaicit immone response. It is important to notce that these mechanisms for
eaiminaton of foreign sobstances can aaso caose injorl to tssoe or mal caose diseases. Therefore,
immone response is aaso defned as the reacton of the immone slstem to microbes that are
recognized as foreign, regardaess of the phlsioaogic or pathoaogic conseqoence of soch a reacton.
When seaf-moaecoaes initate an immone response, this is caaaed autoimmune reeponee. Immunology
is the stodl of the immone responses in this broader sense and the ceaaoaar and moaecoaar events
that occor afer an organism encoonters microbes and other foreign macromoaecoaes.
Immonoaogl, in its modern form, is the experimentaa science in which expaanatons of immonoaogic
phenomena are based on experimentaa observatons and the concaosions drawn from them. These
experimentaa observatons are based on oor abiaitl to manipoaate the foncton of the immone slstem
onder controaaed conditons to initate a response.
--- example --- The frst clear example of manipulating the immune system was Edwards Jenner’s
successful vaccination against smallpox. Jenner discovered that milkmaids who had recovered from
cowpox never contracted the more serious smallpox. He tested his theory on an 8-year old boy who
was injected with the material from a cowpox. Later inoculation did not result in disease
development. This is called vaccination (published in 1798).
Innate and Adaptve Immonitl
Defense against microbes is mediated by sequential and coordinated responses that are called innate
and adaptive immunity. Innate immunity (aaso known as natural immunity or natve immunity)
paals an important roae in the frst hoors to dals afer infecton, before adaptve immone responses
have deveaoped. Innate immonitl mechanisms take paace even before an infecton and therefore
give rise to rapid responses to invading microbes. Innate immonitl mal be seen as a frst defense
mechanism which is not specifc for a certain microbe.
The second defense mechanism is caaaed adaptve immunity (aaso known as epecific immunity or
acquired immunity) deveaops a specifc response to a certain microbe and therefore adapts to the
infecton. The immone slstem recognizes and reacts to a aarge nomber of microbiaa and nonmicrobiaa
sobstances, caaaed antgene.
Immonitl is caaaed slstematc becaose of the abiaitl of almphocltes and other immone ceaas to
circoaate among tssoes. This means that when an immone response is initated in one site it can
provide protecton at distance sites. This featore caarifes the soccess of a vaccinaton.
As in manl processes in an organism, immone responses are regoaated bl a slstem of positve
feedback aoops that ampaifl the reacton and bl controa of mechanisms that prevent inappropriate or
pathoaogic reactons. Actvaton of almphocltes trigger mechanisms that forther increase the
magnitode of the response. This positve feedback is important to generate a aarger response bl a
smaaa nomber of specifc almphocltes to eradicate that infecton. Controa mechanisms prevent the
response from excessive actvaton of almphocltes that cooad caose coaaateraa damage to normaa
tssoes or responses against seaf-antgens.
Book: Cellular and Molecular Immunology by Abul K. Abbas, Andrew H. Lichtman, and Shiv Pillai; ninth
edition; Elsevier; pages 1-10.
Immunity means protecton from diseases, more specifcaaal, infectoos diseases. The immune
eyetem refers to the ceaas and moaecoaes responsibae for immonitl consttote. The response of the
immone slstem to foreign sobstances is caaaed the immune reeponee. In most cases, infectoos
microbes initate the immone slstem; however, even non-infectoos foreign sobstances and prodocts
of damaged ceaas can eaicit immone response. It is important to notce that these mechanisms for
eaiminaton of foreign sobstances can aaso caose injorl to tssoe or mal caose diseases. Therefore,
immone response is aaso defned as the reacton of the immone slstem to microbes that are
recognized as foreign, regardaess of the phlsioaogic or pathoaogic conseqoence of soch a reacton.
When seaf-moaecoaes initate an immone response, this is caaaed autoimmune reeponee. Immunology
is the stodl of the immone responses in this broader sense and the ceaaoaar and moaecoaar events
that occor afer an organism encoonters microbes and other foreign macromoaecoaes.
Immonoaogl, in its modern form, is the experimentaa science in which expaanatons of immonoaogic
phenomena are based on experimentaa observatons and the concaosions drawn from them. These
experimentaa observatons are based on oor abiaitl to manipoaate the foncton of the immone slstem
onder controaaed conditons to initate a response.
--- example --- The frst clear example of manipulating the immune system was Edwards Jenner’s
successful vaccination against smallpox. Jenner discovered that milkmaids who had recovered from
cowpox never contracted the more serious smallpox. He tested his theory on an 8-year old boy who
was injected with the material from a cowpox. Later inoculation did not result in disease
development. This is called vaccination (published in 1798).
Innate and Adaptve Immonitl
Defense against microbes is mediated by sequential and coordinated responses that are called innate
and adaptive immunity. Innate immunity (aaso known as natural immunity or natve immunity)
paals an important roae in the frst hoors to dals afer infecton, before adaptve immone responses
have deveaoped. Innate immonitl mechanisms take paace even before an infecton and therefore
give rise to rapid responses to invading microbes. Innate immonitl mal be seen as a frst defense
mechanism which is not specifc for a certain microbe.
The second defense mechanism is caaaed adaptve immunity (aaso known as epecific immunity or
acquired immunity) deveaops a specifc response to a certain microbe and therefore adapts to the
infecton. The immone slstem recognizes and reacts to a aarge nomber of microbiaa and nonmicrobiaa
sobstances, caaaed antgene.
Immonitl is caaaed slstematc becaose of the abiaitl of almphocltes and other immone ceaas to
circoaate among tssoes. This means that when an immone response is initated in one site it can
provide protecton at distance sites. This featore caarifes the soccess of a vaccinaton.
As in manl processes in an organism, immone responses are regoaated bl a slstem of positve
feedback aoops that ampaifl the reacton and bl controa of mechanisms that prevent inappropriate or
pathoaogic reactons. Actvaton of almphocltes trigger mechanisms that forther increase the
magnitode of the response. This positve feedback is important to generate a aarger response bl a
smaaa nomber of specifc almphocltes to eradicate that infecton. Controa mechanisms prevent the
response from excessive actvaton of almphocltes that cooad caose coaaateraa damage to normaa
tssoes or responses against seaf-antgens.
