Adaptive immune responses are initiated when B or T lymphocytes encounter antigens for which their receptors have specific reactivity, provided that there are appropriate inflammatory signals to support activation. For T cells, this activation occurs via encounters with dendritic cells that have picked up antigens at sites of infection and migrated to secondary lymphoid organs. Activation of the dendritic cells’ PRRs by PAMPs at the site of infection stimulates the dendritic cells in the tissues to engulf the pathogen and degrade it intracellularly. They also take up extracellular material, including virus particles and bacteria, by receptor-independent macropinocytosis. These processes lead to the display of peptide antigens on the MHC molecules of the dendritic cells, a display that activates the antigen receptors of lymphocytes. Activation of PRRs also triggers the dendritic cells to express cell-surface proteins called co-stimulatory molecules, which support the ability of the T lymphocyte to proliferate and differentiate into its final, fully functional form (Fig. 1.19). For these reasons dendritic cells are also called antigen-presenting cells (APCs), and as such, they form a crucial link between the innate immune response and the adaptive immune response (Fig. 1.20). In certain situations, macrophages and B cells can also act as antigen-presenting cells, but dendritic cells are the cells that are specialized in initiating the adaptive immune response. Free antigens can also stimulate the antigen receptors of B cells, but most B cells require ‘help’ from activated helper T cells for optimal antibody responses. The activation of naive T lymphocytes is therefore an essential first stage in virtually all adaptive immune responses. Chapter 6 returns to dendritic cells to discuss how antigens are processed for presentation to T cells. Chapters 7 and 9 discuss co-stimulation and lymphocyte activation. Chapter 10 describes how T cells help in activating B cells.
Principles of adaptive immunity.
naive lymphocytes recirculate constantly through peripheral lymphoid tissue, here illustrated as a popliteal lymph node—a lymph node situated behind the knee. In the case of an infection in the foot, this will be the draining lymph node, where lymphocytes may encounter their specific antigens and become activated. Both activated and nonactivated lymphocytes are returned to the bloodstream via the lymphatic system.
1-16 Lymphocytes encounter and respond to antigen in the peripheral lymphoid organs.
Antigen and lymphocytes eventually encounter each other in the peripheral lymphoid organs—the lymph nodes, spleen, and mucosal lymphoid tissues (see Fig. 1.18). Mature naive lymphocytes are continually recirculating through these tissues, to which pathogen antigens are carried from sites of infection, primarily by dendritic cells. The peripheral lymphoid organs are specialized to trap antigen-bearing dendritic cells and to facilitate the initiation of adaptive immune responses. Peripheral lymphoid tissues are composed of aggregations of lymphocytes in a framework of nonleukocyte stromal cells, which provide both the basic structural organization of the tissue and survival signals to help sustain the life of the lymphocytes. Besides lymphocytes, peripheral lymphoid organs also contain resident macrophages and dendritic cells.