The Lymphatic System and

Immunity
Ch. 21

Its us against them

 Defense against non-self requires the

combined actions of the two body
systems:
1)Immune System
- White blood cells
2)Lymphatic System
- lymphoid vessels and lymphoid
organs that house immune cells

Immune System has 3

tasks:
1) To defend against pathogens and
other external non-self threats
2) To identify and destroy any
abnormal cells arising from within
(cancer cells)
3) To destroy damaged or aged
cells and free their components for
reuse or elimination

Lymphatic system has 3

functions
1) To filter and return some
interstitial fluid to blood
2) To absorb fats and fat-soluble
vitamins (A, D, E, K) from intestines
and deliver them to blood
3) To house and support immune
cells

Cells of the Immune System

Leukocytes
Granulocytes
Neutrophils
Eosinophils
Basophils

Lymphocytes
Monocytes

Lymphocytes
Found in blood
Majority (95%) found in lymphoid organs
and other tissues
T Lymphocytes (T cells)
Mature in the thymus

B Lymphocytes (B cells)
Mature in red bone marrow

Natural Killer (NK) cells

Mature in either bone marrow or lymph nodes

Monocytes
Can differentiate into:
Macrophages
Phagocytosis capability ingest and
destroy pathogens and foreign bodies

Dendritic Cells
Concentrated in lymphoid organs and
in body regions in direct contact with
the environment (Ex: epidermis, lining
of respiratory and gastrointestinal
tract)
Antigen presenting cells

Vessels and Organs of the

Lymphatic System
Cardiac system closed network,
dedicated pump
Lymphatic system open or one way
system, no dedicated pump

Lymphatic Capillaries
Picks up tissue fluids
Fluid moves out of blood capillaries in tissues
Increase in interstitial fluid, increases
pressure, forces fluid into the lymphatic
capillaries
Fluid in lymphatic capillary, called lymph
Identical to interstitial fluid: water, electrolytes, a
little protein
Picks up leukocytes in lymph nodes, fats and fatsoluble vitamins in the intestine

Bulk flow excess into lymph

system

85% of filtered blood is reabsorbed

15% is drained into lymph capillaries

From lymphatic capillaries to

lymphatic vessels then to
lymph nodes

Lymph Drainage

All lymph drains into two lymphatic

ducts:
1) Right lymphatic duct
right arm, right side of the chest
and right side of the head and neck
empties into right subclavian
vein

2) Thoracic duct
- serves the remainder of the body
- empties into left subclavian vein

Same two pumps that aid the

return of venous blood to the
heart maintain the flow of lymph:
Skeletal Muscle Pump
Respiratory Pump

Lymphatic Organs and

Tissues
Primary lymphatic organs
- Site where stem cells divide
and become immunocompetent
Red bone marrow and thymus

Secondary lymphatic
organs
Site where most immune
responses occur
Lymph nodes, spleen and
lymphatic nodules (follicles)

Thymus

Organ where T lymphocytes mature

Peak size, 30g, achieved at puberty
Shrinks to almost nothing in elderly
Training center for fighting cells
before they are released
Not directly linked to lymphatic
network

Lymph nodes

500-600 bean-shaped lymph nodes

Contain many lymphocytes
NK cells mature in lymph nodes
Lymphocyte precursors congregate
to produce new lymphocytes
Accelerate lymphocyte production
when pathogen or antigens are

Spleen
Largest mass of lymphatic tissue in the
body
Immune functions:
Macrophages engulf pathogens and lymphocytes
perform immune duties
Removal of ruptured, worn out or defected RBCs
by macrophages

Non-immune functions:
Storage of platelets (up to 1/3 of the bodys
supply)
Production of blood cells during fetal life

Mucosa-Associated
Lymphoid Tissue (MALT)
Found at sites where pathogens most
likely to enter body
a. mouth, nose and
gastrointestinal
tract
b. tonsils, appendix, Peyers
patches

Tonsils
Palatine tonsils tonsils
Pharyngeal tonsil adenoid when
enlarged

Peyers Patches and

Appendix
Destroy bacteria,
preventing them from
breaching the
intestinal wall
Create memory
lymphocytes

The Immune Response

Immunity ability to ward off
damage or disease through our
defenses
The actions of leukocytes that are able to
distinguish self from non-self substances and
neutralize those things which are non-self

How do immune cells distinguish self

from non-self?

 Antigen
A molecule that is capable of stimulating
a defensive response from the immune
system
Derives from antibody-generating
Refers to an antigens ability to stimulate the immune
system to produce antibodies.

Antibody
Specialized proteins that help immune
cells destroy antigens

Pathogens contain non-self

antigens
Two classes:
1) Viruses
2) Non-virus: bacteria, fungi, ameobae,
worms and other organisms

Major Histocompatibility
Complex (MHC)
Glycoproteins found on the surface
of every nucleated cell
MHC antigens:
1) are self-specific, alien to every other
person
2) task is to bind other self and nonself
antigens and display them on the cell
surface

Two types of MHC

glcyoproteins
Class I (MHC I)
Found in the membrane of every body
cell (except red blood cells)

Class II (MHC II)

Found only on certain immune cells that
are capable of phagocytosis (EX:
dendritic cells)

MHC I
All displayed antigens are internally
produced
In healthy cells, MHC I display normal
self-antigens
This cell and all other cells like me are
self; leave us alone

In cancerous or virus-infected cells

display non-self antigens
Alien antigen present; kill me

MHC II
Do not display internally produced
self-antigens
Immune cell captures the antigen,
internalizes it into a vacuole, and
displays a fragment of the antigen
Antigen-presenting cells
Stimulates other immune cells to
seek and destroy the foreign cells

Immune System responds

in 4 ways to invasion
1) Detects the nonself antigen
2) Communicates the discovery to
other cells by chemical signals
(cytokines)
3) Stimulates other cells to
proliferate and assist in defense
4) Destroys or neutralizes the invader
or cancer cell.

Two types of immunity

Innate Immunity
inborn present from birth and
requires no programming
No specific recognition of pathogens

Adaptive Immunity
Acquired or programmed immunity
Specific immune response aimed at a
particular nonself antigen

Innate Immunity
Requires no education or
programming in response to specific
threats
More rapid than adaptive immunity
Holds off invaders until adaptive
immune system can be programmed
to respond

Inflammation serves a role in

innate immunity

Increased blood flow, which brings fresh immune cells (lymphocytes and other white blood
cells), nutrients, oxygen and other essentials to the injured region
Leaky blood vessels, which permit blood phagocytes and plasma proteins to enter injured cel
Chemical signals released by the injury or the pathogen, which draw leukocytes to the injure
site or pathogen

Leukocytes Play a role in innate

immunity
Some leukocytes have inborn, innate
ability to recognize self
If youre not one of us, youre going
to be dead
Neutrophils
Macrophages
NK cells

Neutrophils and
Macrophages
Phagocytic Cells
Work by wrapping
themselves around their
target (particulate
matter, pathogen or cell
debris) and internalize it
into a vacuole
Lysosome digests
contents and remains are
expelled from the cell

Phagocytosis

Natural Killer (NK) cells

Patrol blood and lymph
5% of lymphocytes are NK cells
Inborn capacity to attach and kill virusinfected and cancer cells
Immediate response because they easily
recognize nonself character of abnormal
cells
May be due to low MHC I on virus-infected
and cancer cells

No phagocytosis, kill by direct contact

inducing target to undergo cell death

Chemical Signals are

important regulators of
innate immunity
Cytokines small proteins released
by immune cells; act as messenger
molecules to regulate immune
function
Paracrine factors travel a short
distance to act on neighboring cells

 Actions of cytokines:
Stimulate maturation and activity of
macrophages, neutrophils and NK cells
Induce Vasodilation
Attract other leukocytes (chemotaxis)
Stimulate the production of
noncytokine inflammatory molecules
Induce fever

Types of Cytokines
Interleukins (ILs) signaling
activity between leukocytes
Interferons (IFN) interfere with
the spread of viruses to neighboring
cells
Tumor necrosis factors (TNF)
wide-ranging actions

 Complement system consists of

about 20 small proteins
Magnifies the inflammatory response
Forms the membrane attack complex, drills
a hole in cell membrane of offending cell
Acts as an opsonin by attaching to the cell
membrane of offending cell
Opsonin any molecule that acts as a binding
enhancer for the process of phagocytosis

Adaptive Immunity

B Lymphocytes (B cells)
T Lymphocytes (T cells)
Macrophages
Dendritic Cells

Each Lymphocyte develops to

recognize a single antigen
basic training in bone marrow or
thymus where the cells learn to
respond to a particular antigen
Specialized B-cell antigen or T-cell
antigen receptors
Can respond to virtually any antigen
we will ever encounter

Basic Training
Learn to recognize self antigens and
avoid attacking them self
tolerance
If this skill is not master destroyed
Loss of self tolerance cause of
autoimmune disease

Antigens Activate
Lymphocytes
Even after basic training,
lymphocytes are not fully mature
Antigen challenge - encounter
their antigen and bind
Activation stimulation of a
lymphocyte by an antigen
Clonal expansion produces an army
of identical lymphocytes to fight the
invader

B and T Lymphocytes
provide two types of
Adaptive Immunity
Antibody mediated
B lymphocytes synthesize and secrete
antibodies

Cell mediated
Special T lymphocyte directly attacks
and kills the invader

Antibody Mediated
Immunity
Function of B cells
Produce clones
Mostly plasma cells antibody
secreting
Few become memory B cells
proliferate rapidly upon another
encounter with the same antigen

 Primary Immune response initial

B- cell activation, clonal expansion
and binding of antigen
Takes about 10 days to 4 weeks
1st encounter with antigen

Secondary immune response

Much quicker
More intense because memory cells are
already primed

Antibodies

Immunoglobulins
Composed of heavy and light chains
Constant region
Variable region

Five Classes of Antibodies

IgG most abundant Ab; conveys
immunity to
fetus
IgA mucus membranes; conveys
immunity to
fetus during
breastfeeding
IgM 1st Ab released
IgE mast cell membranes; allergic
reactions
IgD Activates B cells

Antibody Actions
Immune complex antibody bound
to antigen
Neutralization antibody blocks
effect of antigen
Precipitation antibody binds soluble
antigens (toxin), fall out of solution
Agglutination formation of cell
clumps

 Antibodies also activate

complement
Antibodies act as opsonins

Cellular Immunity
Function of T cells
No antibody production
Their job is to destroy enemies that
have gained access to host cells
T cells must attack the antigen directly
Takes longer than B cell Immunity
sometimes called delayed immunity

T cells are classified by their

Immune Roles
Cytotoxic T cells (Tc cells) target and
destroy any other cell in the body that has
been identified by the immune system.
Ex: cancer cell or virus-infected cell
Helper T cells (TH cells) facilitate
immune activities of B and T cells
Regulatory T cells (TR cells) suppress
the immune system
Memory T cells (TM cells) enable the
cellular immune system to mount a rapid
attack (2nd exposure)

Cytotoxic T cells
Must rely on antigen-presenting
cells (APCs)
Macrophages, dendritic cells or B cells

Helper T cells
Rely on APCs
Can also recognize foreign antigens
outside of cells
Do not directly kill pathogens

Summary of Lymphocyte Production

and Action