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We've all heard the terms thrown around: "T cell." "Killer cell." "Macrophage." "Lymphocyte." But probably, unless you've been reading up on your molecular and cellular biology, you're not 100% sure of what all those terms mean, or about how they work in your body. For instance, how do immune cells figure out when to attack? It once was thought that viral or bacterial particles alone were enough to trigger immune cells to attack. Peter Doherty and Rolf Zinkernagel discovered that the immune system's killer T cells recognize special cellular proteins called "histocompatibility antigens" - and that the presence of both the foreign material and these special proteins, produced by infected cells, are required to start an immune response. Their 1974 discovery changed the way that scientists thought of immunology - and won the pair the 1996 Nobel Prize in medicine or physiology. How do immune cells figure out when to stop attacking, leaving the body's own cells alone? Even less is known about what controls this key portion of the immune response, known as "self-tolerance." We'll talk about what factors may contribute to maintaining this balance in the body - and about what can happen when the system goes awry. Plus, a look at ways to deliberately disrupt the immune system to aid in disease treatment. An immune system primer - on this hour of Science Friday.
Guests: Abul Abbas Michael Widmer Books/Articles Discussed: Related Links: |
