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| http://www.funnyjunk.com/funny_pictures/4396643/Headquarters+of+the+immune+system |
A foreign invader is trying to come into your home. You go back to work, slightly worried, but you know that there is a top notch security team making sure that the bacteria doesn't go too far. When you get home, your little red blood cell children asks you what white blood cells do. You sit them down and begin telling them a story about a brave white blood cell named Anselm, who protected this body long ago.
Anselm was the in charge of the immune system. And this body was being threatened by the evil Antigen
At this point, your kid interrupts you and asks how the immune system provides an immediate nonspecific immune response (smart kid).
Well you continue Nonspecific immunity (Innate Immunity) is a defense system that protects the body from all toxins that produce antibodies, the antigens. There are three helpful barriers that keep harmful material from entering the body. And Anselm was in charge of them.
The first line of defense tried to keep the bacteria from entering the body. Skin warriors, stomach acid makers, cough tornadoes, tears, skin oils, and even the mucus magicians couldn't stop this bacteria.
The second line of defense was an alternate pathway that Anselm called the Complement System. This system killed any organism that had the ability to produce a disease. But Antigen got past that too!
At this point, Anselm went in with his own forces, the Lymphoctyes. There are two divisions of Lymphoctyes: the T and B cells.
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| http://www2.bc.cc.ca.us/bio16/15_innate_immune.htm |
Your kid interrupts you again and asks how the immune system activated the T and B cells in response to an infection (good questions, kid).
You continue your story
The Lymphoctyes are certain types of white blood cells that activate immune process. These are the T and B cells mentioned earlier. B cells are cells that become the antibodies and attach to the antigen like target markers. T cells attack the antigens directly after they've been marked and kill the antigens.
Anselm was a T cell, and every T cell had a partner who was a B cell. Anselm and his partner Dacre commanded the T and B cells to attack and kill Antigen but it was all for nothing. The B cells kept getting caught trying to sneak in with the antigens.
Finally, Dacre decided he would go in and attach himself to Antigen. Anselm tried to stop him, but there was nothing he could to. Dacre infiltrated the antibodies camp and marked Antigen. Anselm went in and finally destroyed Antigen, but he lost his partner Dacre.
Your kid asks if Antigen will ever come back.
No, after Dacre died, the Immune system retained the memory of Antigen and every antibody that came after him. This way, no B cell would ever have to give their lives for nothing. The T and B cells multiply, creating a "memory" of all foreign invaders that have tried to come into the body. Now, with all the information, the Lymphoctyes can get rid of antibodies faster and more efficiently.
How can they tell if the antibody is actually an antibody and not a marker or something? Your kid asks.
Well, non self and self is distinguished by receptors that the T cells have. If the receptor picks something up a foreign signal, then there's an antibody around.
You show your kid a picture.
See, there's self receptors and non self receptors. That's how the T cells can tell the antibodies apart.
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| http://guillainbarre.wikispaces.com/file/view/self_%2B_nonself_recognition.jpg/78892097/self_%2B_nonself_recognition.jpg |
That's what Anselm and Dacre used. And that's what all the T and B cells still use today.
The End.
Works Cited
http://www.nobelprize.org/educational/medicine/immunity/immune-detail.html
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000821.htm
http://www.behindthename.com - for the cool names
