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The lymphatic system and immunity

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Presentation on theme: "The lymphatic system and immunity"— Presentation transcript:

1 The lymphatic system and immunity
A circulatory system for fluids returns fluid to the blood removes antigens from the body exposes antigens to the immune system



4 How is fluid moved? Contraction of skeletal muscles against lymphatic vessels Smooth muscle contraction Valves in lymphatic vessels Breathing Obstruction of system leads to edema

5 Lymph nodes Grouped together at various parts of the body Filtration “Immune surveillance” immune cells are concentrated there (as is antigen)



8 Lymphocytes develop in lymph nodes (after
they are formed in the bone marrow) T cells develop in the thymus and then enter the circulation Macrophages and dendritic cells “present” antigen in the lymph nodes What are the major organs/tissues of the lymphatic system? How do the cells get there?


10 Thymus T cell development: cells migrate from bone marrow and differentiate into T cells T helper cells Cytotoxic T cells Thymus gets progressively smaller (and less active) through life

11 Spleen Filters blood, while lymph nodes filter lymph White pulp- concentration of lymphocytes (around arteries) Red pulp- red cells are filtered too Macrophages are plentiful throughout


13 B and T lymphocytes confer “specific immunity”
Body also has “non-specific” responses to infection Barriers- skin, mucosa, chemical barriers Inflammation redness, swelling, heat, pain Phagocytes Fever

14 Cells of inflammation Neutrophils- leave blood and enter site of injury- kill and phagocytose microbes Macrophages- also phagocytes Mast cells- release inflammatory substances Complement proteins- contribute to inflammation Lymphocytes may be activated, too

15 What about specific immunity?
Arises when barriers (first line of defense) and inflammation (second line) do not control the infection Is directed against specific antigens What is an antigen?

16 What are the cells of specific immunity?
B lymphocytes (produce antibodies) T lymphocytes (helper, cytotoxic) Helper T cells regulate the immune response Cytotoxic T cells kill altered cells infected with viruses tumor cells

17 What do these cells do, when exposed to
antigen? Proliferate (divide rapidly) Produce “effector molecules” B cells- antibodies helper T cells- cytokines cytotoxic T cells- cytotoxic granules Macrophages, dendritic cells- present antigen to T cells


19 What do antibodies do? (five classes)
Ig (immunoglobulin) G- active in blood against bacteria and viruses helps activate complement helps phagocytes eliminate antigens most common antibody in the blood IgM- reacts with certain antigens, usually on first exposure IgA- most common in mucosa

20 IgD and IgE are rare in blood
IgE is involved in allergic reactions sticks to mast cells, which release inflammatory substances IgD is usually found on B cells (not released) may be involved in B cell activation

21 When the body is exposed to an antigen for the
first time, antibody production is slow and at low levels. Usually IgM If exposed to the same antigen again, the antibody response is much more rapid and intense (IgG) (Most antibody in the blood stream is IgG)


23 Vaccination Exposure to antigen will produce an immune response
Repeated exposure will produce memory Vaccine-produce the memory response without getting the disease Why are vaccine produced to protect against some diseases but not others?

24 Immune system protects against infection,
but also against other antigens Blood group antigens Tissue antigens (i.e., graft rejection) For successful organ graft, immune system must be suppressed Transplanted tissue must be cleared of immune cells, too

25 What if there is an immune response against
the “wrong” antigens? Allergies- antigen that is otherwise harmless (hypersensitivity) Immediate type is mediated by IgE Delayed-type is caused by T cells

26 Autoimmunity Normally immune system does NOT react to “self” antigens Autoimmunity occurs when it does disease can be localized (to kidneys, joints, thyroid, etc.) or can be systemic (lupus) Treatment usually requires some form of immunosuppression

27 Immune deficiency Primary- lack of development of all or part of the immune system SCID- severe combined immune deficiency DiGeorge syndrome- lack of a thymus, etc. Secondary- due to disease AIDS can also be temporary

28 Summary The lymphatic system helps maintain homeostasis of fluids, and also helps remove antigen from the body The immune system consists of barriers (physical and chemical) and specific and nonspecific mechanisms to eliminate antigen “Immune cells” are blood cells. Some circulate in the blood and can then migrate into tissues at site of injury. These include neutrophils and macrophages.

29 All blood cells arise in the bone marrow.
B lymphocytes initially develop in the bone marrow and then migrate to lymphoid tissues (esp. lymph nodes and spleen) T lymphocytes develop in the thymus. B cells produce antibodies, which interact with antigen to help eliminate it. Helper T cells regulate the immune response; cytotoxic T cells kill virus-infected cells and probably tumor cells. (They also are responsible for transplant rejection.)

30 B and T cell response is antigen-specific and
has “memory” (second response is faster and stronger than the first) Immune system can be overly responsive to antigens (hypersensitivity/allergy) or can mistakenly be directed against self antigen (autoimmunity) Immune deficiencies leave people vulnerable to infection

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