The Humoral Adaptive Immune System
| Home | | Pharmaceutical Microbiology | | Pharmaceutical Microbiology |Chapter: Pharmaceutical Microbiology : Immunology
The humoral immune response is mediated through antibody–antigen interactions.
THE HUMORAL ADAPTIVE IMMUNE SYSTEM
The humoral immune response is mediated through antibody–antigen
interactions. B-lymphocytes in their naive state, unstimulated by antigen,
possess antibody molecules on their cell membrane, which serve a surveillance
function to recognize any invading antigen. A B-lymphocyte that has bound
antigen is capable of differentiating into a plasma cell which, under the influence
of signals from helper T-cells, produces a fuller repertoire of antibody
molecules (i.e. a fuller range of antibody classes), which are then secreted
from the plasma cell into the extracellular environment to bring about a range
of humoral effector functions.
Related Topics
