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Related Experiment Videos

The immune system: a look from a distance

M Cohn1, R E Langman

  • 1The Salk Institute, P.O. Box 85800, San Diego, California 92186-5800, USA. cohn@sc2.salk.edu

Frontiers in Bioscience : a Journal and Virtual Library
|October 1, 1996
PubMed
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The immune system learns self-nonself discrimination, unlike innate defense mechanisms. This learned ability allows for a vast antibody repertoire crucial for effective humoral immunity against pathogens.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Evolutionary Biology

Background:

  • Vertebrate defense mechanisms are broadly categorized into germline-encoded innate immune systems and somatically learned immune responses.
  • The fundamental difference lies in the mechanism of self-nonself (S-NS) discrimination: innate immunity is germline-encoded, while the adaptive immune system learns S-NS discrimination somatically.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the implications of the somatically learned self-nonself discrimination in the vertebrate immune system.
  • To discuss the size and function of the antibody repertoire in the context of humoral immunity.
  • To examine the iterative nature of the humoral immune system required for effective pathogen defense.

Main Methods:

  • This review synthesizes current understanding of immune system evolution and antibody repertoire.

Related Experiment Videos

  • It analyzes the functional requirements for humoral antibody effector responses.
  • The implications of these requirements for the structure of the immune system are discussed.

    • Main Results:

    • The acquisition of somatically learned S-NS discrimination enabled the development of large immune repertoires in vertebrates.
    • Effective humoral immunity necessitates a minimum antibody concentration achieved through an iterated B-cell response across the organism.
    • This iterative requirement has significant implications for immune system design and function.

    Conclusions:

    • The capacity for somatically learned self-nonself discrimination is a defining feature of the vertebrate immune system, differentiating it from innate defenses.
    • The humoral immune system's reliance on secreted antibodies and the need for rapid, high-concentration responses dictate an iterative, scalable structure.
    • Understanding this iterative nature is key to comprehending the full scope and efficiency of adaptive immunity.