Lymphocyte: Difference between revisions
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A '''lymphocyte''' is a cell that belongs to group of [[white blood cell]]s (i.e., leukocytes), which are a major component of the immune system. The group broadly breaks into B-lymphocytes and T-lymphocytes. <ref>NIH MeSH</ref> | A '''lymphocyte''' is a cell that belongs to group of [[white blood cell]]s (i.e., leukocytes), which are a major component of the immune system. The group broadly breaks into B-lymphocytes and T-lymphocytes. <ref>NIH MeSH</ref> | ||
The [[lymphocyte count]] is "the number of lymphocytes per unit volume of blood."<ref>{{MeSH|Lymphocyte count}}</ref> | |||
==B-lymphocyte== | ==B-lymphocyte== | ||
Revision as of 11:23, 16 September 2009
A lymphocyte is a cell that belongs to group of white blood cells (i.e., leukocytes), which are a major component of the immune system. The group broadly breaks into B-lymphocytes and T-lymphocytes. [1]
The lymphocyte count is "the number of lymphocytes per unit volume of blood."[2]
B-lymphocyte
These are cells involved in the production of antibiodies (i.e., the humoral immune response. They have no relationships to the B- or Beta-cells of the pancreas.
T-lymphocyte
Lymphocytes of these types directly destroy appropriate target cells, or help generate cells that do.
T4 Helper Cells
T-lymphocytes with the T4 protein on their surface which recognizes the antigenic peptide while the CD4 molecule recognizes the major histocompatibility complex (MHC-II) molecule. These "helper T-lymphocytes" cause the production of more cells for cell-mediated immunity, but they first must be activated by cytokines, such as interleukin I (Il-I).[3]
As well as being invoked by cytokines, they generate cytokines:
- Interleukin-2 (Il2)
- Interleukin-3 (Il3)
- Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFa)
- B-cell growth factor (BCGF)
- B-cell differentiation factor (BCDF)
T8 Killer cells
CD8-protein containing lymphocytes, also called T8-lymphocytes, are a subset of circulating "killer cells". All CD8-cells are killers, but other killer cells may be monocytes, macrophages (derived from monocytes) or polynuclear neutrophils. The key is that a killer cell attacks material labeled with the B-lymphocyte generated antibody.
These cytotoxic lymphocytes may be generated in vitro in mixed lymphocyte cultures (MLC), in vivo during a graft-versus-host (GVH) reaction, or after immunization with an transplantation#allograft, tumor cell or virally transformed or chemically modified target cell. The manner in which these cells destroy targets is sometimes called cell-mediated lympholysis (CML).
References
- ↑ NIH MeSH
- ↑ Anonymous (2024), Lymphocyte count (English). Medical Subject Headings. U.S. National Library of Medicine.
- ↑ Kaiser, Gary E., T4 -Lymphocytes (T4-Cells; T4-Helper Cells; CD4+ Cells), "The adaptive immune system: I. Introduction, B. Major cells and key cell-surface molecules involved in adaptive immune responses", Doc Kaiser's Microbiology Home Page