Cellular Basis of Antibody Production

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Abstract
The antibody response is a complex process involving the response of a system of cells, termed lymphoid cells, to a foreign stimulus or antigen. Both macrophages and lymphocytes participate in the immune response. One class of lymphocyte, termed "B" lymphocytes, are the cells which divide and differentiate into antibody-forming cells. The second class, "T" lymphocytes, are derived from the thymus and are preeminent in cell-mediated immunity. T cells do not secrete serum antibody, but may participate in a "helper" capacity in the humoral immune response. Marked features of the immune response are its specificty and its diversity. The basis of the specificity are the receptors on the surface of B lymphocytes, which are antibody molecules, similar in most respects to those eventually secreted. The diversity of the immune system is based on the development in the fetus and throughout life of a great heterogeneity in the lymphoid cell populations based on differences in the specificity of the surface receptors. In both T and B lymphocyte systems there is adaptive behavior. Confrontation with antigen may cause an increase in the number of lymphocytes capable of reacting to that antigen at some subsequent time. This process is termed immunological memory. Alternatively, antigens may sometimes cause a reduction in the capacity to respond subsequently specifically to that antigen. This is called immunological tolerance.

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