Cells and organs of the immune system

Emmanuel Mang’ombe
Dept. of Microbiology & Parasitology
UDOM
 Introduction

• Immune system: Organs, tissues and cells

• 1⁰ Lymphoid organ - development and
maturation of lymphocytes
• 2⁰ organ - sites where mature lymphocytes can
interact effectively antigen
• Blood vessels and lymphatic systems connect
these organs
• Leucocytes circulates in blood and lymphatic
system
 Hematopoiesis

• Formation and development of red and white

blood cells (immune cell)
• Begins during development of fetus and
continuous throughout life
• Blood cells arise from a type of cell called the
hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) – Pluripotent
HSC
• HSC differentiate into lymphoid progenitor cell
or a common myeloid progenitor cell
Stem cell differentiation
 Cell of the immune system

Lymphocytes
• Responsible for adaptive immunity and the
immunologic attributes of diversity, specificity,
memory, and self/nonself recognition
• constitute 20%–40% of the body’s white blood
cells and 99% of the cells in the lymph
• There are approximately 1011 lymphocytes in
the human body.
 Lymphocytes

• 2 types - B cells, T cells the basis of function and

cell-membrane components (surface marker)
• Naïve lymphocytes have short life span
• Interaction with antigen in presence of cytokines
proliferate and differentiate into effector cells or
into memory cells
• Effector cells eliminate antigen, have short life
span
 Lymphocytes
• Plasma cells—the antibody-secreting effector
cells of the B cell lineage
• The effector cells of the T-cell - T helper cell
(TH cell) and the T cytotoxic lymphocyte (TC
cell
• Some of the progeny of B and T lymphoblasts
differentiate into memory cells.
• The persistence of this population of cells is
responsible for life-long immunity to many
pathogens
 Lymphocytes
B lymphocytes
• derived its letter designation from its site of
maturation, in the bursa of Fabricius in birds
• In human differentiate within the bone
marrow before being released into the
circulation
• Mature B cells display of membrane-bound
immunoglobulin (antibody) molecules which
serve as receptors for antigen
 B lymphocytes
• Mature naïve B cell differentiate into plasma cell
and memory cell upon interaction with antigen as
well as cytokines produced by TH and macrophage
• Plasma cell synthesize and secrete antibody
(humoral immune response)
• Plasma cells are terminally differentiated cells, and
many die in 1 or 2 weeks
• B cell also function as an antigen-presenting cell
(APC)
 Lymphocytes
T cell Lymphocytes
• Derive their name from their site of maturation in
the thymus
• Have membrane receptors for antigen
• T-cell receptor (TCR) does not recognize free
antigen, instead recognizes only antigen that is
bound to particular classes of self-molecules
• Recognize antigen only when it is bound to a self-
molecule encoded by genes within the major
histocompatibility complex (MHC).
 T lymphocytes

• Make up 60 – 80% of peripheral blood

lymphocytes
2 subset of T cell
• Helper T cell or CD4+ T cell
• Cytotoxic T cell/suppressor or CD8+ T cell
• CD4+:CD8+ ratio 2:1
 T lymphocytes
Helper T cell or CD4+ T cell
• Activate and control immune and inflammatory
response by releasing cytokines
• Restricted to recognizing antigen bound to class II
MHC molecules expressed on the APCs (DCs,
macrophage, B cells)
• After activation, the TH cell begins to divide and gives
rise to a clone of effector cells, which secrete various
cytokines,
• Play a central role in the activation of B cells, T cells,
and other cells that participate in the immune
response.
 T helper cell

• Subset TH1, TH2, TH3

• TH1 cells
– Promote inflammatory response especially
important for controlling intracellular (Mtb and
viral) and fungal infections
• TH2
– Activates mainly B cells and immune responses
that depend upon antibodies
• TH3: promote production of IgA
 Cytotoxic T cell or CD8+ T cell
• Characterized as cytolytic and suppressor T cell
• Are activated when they interact with an antigen–
class I MHC complex on the surface of an altered
self-cell (e.g., a virus-infected cell or a tumor cell)
in the presence of appropriate cytokines
• Differentiate into an effector cell called a
cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL).
• Class 1 MHC molecules are found on all nucleated
cells
• Patrol the body for virus infected or tumor cell
 Lymphocytes
Natural killer cells
• constitute 5%–10% of lymphocytes in human
peripheral blood
• Are large granular lymphocytes that do not
express the set of surface markers typical of B
or T cells
• Important in natural immune response
• Provide an early cellular response to a viral infections
• Have antitumor activities
• Amplify inflammatory reactions after bacterial
infections
• Responsible for ADCC
 Mononuclear Phagocytes
• Consists of monocytes circulating in the blood
and macrophages in the tissues
Monocytes
• Are 10 to 18µm in diameter, with single lobed
nucleus
• Represent 3 to 8% of peripheral blood leukocytes
• Circulate in the bloodstream for about 8 h,
differentiate into specific tissue macrophages Or
dendritic cells
 Mononuclear Phagocytes
Macrophages
• Long lived cells, that are phagocytic
• Contain lysosomes and mitochondria
• are dispersed throughout the body
• Some fixed macrophages, while others are
motile, called free, or wandering
• Functions as
• Phagocytosis
• Antigen presentation to T cell to initiate specific
immune response
• Secretion of cytokines
 Mononuclear phagocyte

Dendritic cell
• Are myeloid and lymphoid origins
• Have octopus – like tendrils and are
professional APCs and also produce cytokines
• Are found in blood and in tissue
• Capture and phagocytose antigen efficiently
• Migrate to lymph node rich in T cell to present
antigen on class II MHC antigen
 Granulocytes cells

• Classified as neutrophils, eosinophils, or

basophils on basis of:
– Cellular morphology
– Cytoplasmic staining characteristics
 Neutrophil (PMN leukocytes)

• constitute 50%–70% of the circulating WBC

• Are 11 - 14µm in diameter, lack mitochondria
• has a multilobed nucleus and a granulated
cytoplasm that stains with both acid and basic
dyes
• Are short lived cells and circulate in blood for 7-
10hrs
• Then migrate to tissue where they leave for 3 days
 Neutrophil (PMN)

• Are first cell to appear at a site of

inflammation in response to chemotactic
factors
• Primary phagocytic defense against bacterial
infections
• Also employ both O2-dependent and O2-
independent pathways to generate
antimicrobial substances
 Eosinophil

• Has a bilobed nucleus and a granulated

cytoplasm that stains with the acid dye eosin
red
• Constitute 1%–3% of WBC
• Are motile phagocytic cells that can migrate
from the blood into the tissue spaces
• Play a role in the defense against parasitic
infections
 Basophil

• Has a lobed nucleus and heavily granulated

cytoplasm that stains with the basic dye
methylene blue
• Constitute 1% of WBC
• Are non-phagocytic granulocytes, but release
their content of their granules during allergic
response (Type 1 hypersensitivity)
 Organ of immune system

• Organs of the lymphoid system are divided

into:-
– primary and
– secondary organs
• Primary organs: initial differentiation and
maturation of immune cells (thymus and BM
• 2⁰ organs: trap antigen and provide sites for
mature lymphocytes to interact with that
antigen (LN, Spleen, MALT (GALT))
 Primary lymphoid organs

• Lymphocytes generated in hematopoiesis

mature and become committed to a particular
antigenic specificity within the primary
lymphoid organs
• Bone marrow (where all lymphocytes arise)
• Thymus (where T cells mature and reach a
stage of functional competence)
 Borne marrow

• Is a site for generation and origin of all blood

cells
• All blood cells originate from a common
hematopoietic progenitor stem cell
• is the site of B-cell origin and development in
human
 Thymus

• is the site of T-cell development and

maturation
• Progenitor T cells from the early sites of
hematopoiesis begin to migrate to the thymus
in the eighth or ninth week of gestation in
humans
• Contact with thymic epithelium and hormones
promote extensive proliferation and
differentiation
 Thymus

• T cell maturation involves rearrangements of

the germ-line TCR genes and the expression of
various membrane markers (TCRs)
• T cells that react too strongly with self-MHC or
with self-MHC plus selfpeptides are eliminated
• T cells whose TCRs are capable of recognizing
self-MHC molecules survive and differentiate
into subpopulations of T cells
 Secondary Lymphoid organ

• Site where B and T cell resides and respond to

antigenic challenges
• Proliferation of lymphocytes in response to
infectious challenges causes these tissues to
swell
 Lymph nodes

• Are kidney shaped 2 – 10 mm in diameter that

filter fluid from intracellular space
• Are encapsulated organs in which microphage,
B and T cell reside
• Their location facilitates interactions that
promote immune responses
 Lymph nodes

• Consists of three layers

• Cortex : contains B cells and Microphage
arranged in clusters called follicles
• Paracortex: contains dendritic cell that bring
antigen from tissue to be presented to the T
cells
• The medulla: contains B and T cell and
antibody-producing cell
 Spleen

• Are large organ that act like a lymph node

• Also filters antigens, encapsulated bacteria and
viruses from blood
• Consist of 2 tissue
– White pulp
– Red pulp
• White pulp consists of arterioles surrounded
lymphoid cells in which T cells surround the
central arterioles
 Spleen

• B cell are organized into follicles that have

germinal center
• Germinal center contains memory cells,
macrophages and follicular dendritic cells
(APCs)
• Red pulp is the storage site of blood cell and
site of turn over of aged platelets
 MALT

• GALT (payer's patches)

• Bronchus associated lymphoid tissue (BALT)
tonsils, appendix