Lymphocytes
These cells are the special ops of the immune system—a line of defense that uses past behaviors and interactions to learn to recognize specific foreign threats and attack them when they reappear - Maurie Markman MD
HWN Suggests
Show Your Immune System Some Love
The real keepers belong to the adaptive branch of the immune system: B cells—the makers of antibodies—and T cells, which, among many other tasks, kill virus-infected cells. Adaptives are slow-moving specialists. They take down microbial invaders that innate cells can’t handle on their own, relying heavily on intel from macrophages, dendritic cells, and other early defenders. They won’t be the first to make a move, but they’re sharp and sophisticated, capable of singling out individual pathogens and zapping them with precision. B and T cells are self-assured enough to know what they want. Unlike innate cells, they’re also capable of remembering the things they’ve encountered before, ensuring…
Articles of Interest
Coronavirus: B cells and T cells explained
Once the adaptive immune system has vanquished the invader, a pool of long-lived memory T and B cells are made. These memory lymphocytes remain dormant until the next time they encounter the same pathogen. This time, though, they produce a much faster and stronger immune reaction. Memory is the key feature of the adaptive immune system, enabling long-term protection.
Human Lymphocytes: Similarity of B and T Cell Surface Morphology
Whereas lymphocyte surface architecture can change rapidly and substantially in response to environmental modifications, such as contact with an underlying surface, these alterations are similar for both B and T cells and do not serve to distinguish these subpopulations.
Introduction to T and B lymphocytes
The T and B lymphocytes (T and B Cells) are involved in the acquired or antigen-specific immune response given that they are the only cells in the organism able to recognize and respond specifically to each antigenic epitope. The B Cells have the ability to transform into plasmocytes and are responsible for producing antibodies (Abs).
On B and T Lymphocytes
Dr. Hensley says recent hyperventilating headlines about a study from Imperial College London that demonstrates a gradual decline in antibody levels post‐COVID infection are “silly.” That’s because B cells and antibody production are only one component of the immune response. Dr. Paul Elliott, an epidemiologist at Imperial College London points out in the Times article that some T lymphocytes retain memory of the pathogen and stimulate B cells to pump out more antibodies to it, if and when the pathogen re‐invades. Other T lymphocytes directly attack and destroy the pathogen they remember. Still other T cells release factors that mobilize other components of the host’s immune system against the pathogen.
Why You Shouldn’t Worry About Studies Showing Waning Coronavirus Antibodies
T cells are unlikely to prevent infection, but they may at least prevent serious illness by blunting the attack, Dr. Crotty said. Given all that, he said, interpreting low antibody levels to mean that immunity disappears, or that coronavirus vaccines will not be effective is “wrong.”
