Thursday, March 14, 2013

What are the shape and unusual features of lymphocytes?

Lymphocytes are important cells in the human immune system. More specifically, they are a type of white blood cell. Lymphocytes can be further broken down into two categories, B-Cells and T-Cells, which each perform different functions in the immune system. B-cells are the type of cells that create antibodies to fight off and attack pathogens that have entered the body. They are able to express receptors that have a specific region matching the conformation of an invader and then set into motion the process to destroy it. T-Cells on the other hand attack cells in ones own body that have already been infected, destroying them and helping to contain the pathogen from spreading. T-cells can also recognize receptors expressed by macrophages and not only destroy that infected cell, but also replicate so that more T-cells can recognize and destroy the same harmful pathogen. They can also attack and destroy cancer cells, as well as recruit B-Cells to create antibodies against pathogens. Both types of lymphocytes come from stem cells produced in the bone marrow. Hope this helps!

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