how does our immunity system response and attack foreign cells and virus?
Friday, September 10th, 2010 at
11:02 pm
how does our immunity system response and attack foreign cells and virus? is there a protein around, and when the protein has noticed the virus and foreign cells, they will send the message to the immune system, then attack? because i heard there was something have to do with the protein.
Filed under: Alternative Medicine
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white blood cells run after foreign cells
extend their pesudopodia until they engulf the foreign cell through a process called endocytosis (basically anything entering a cell)
The way your immune system works is very complicated. It responds to germs in many different ways. Here are two simplified ways your body fights off germs:
When a virus enters your cell, it starts creating virus proteins. If your cell finds out it is infected, a molecule called MHC, will take the protein and bring it to the surface of the cell membrane. Think of it like your cell holding up a sign saying “HELP! I’VE BEEN INFECTED!” Your white blood cells (specifically T-cells) will see the virus protein and will kill the infected cell before it has a chance to infect other cells.
Another part of your immune system creates antibodies. Antibodies are proteins that bind to viruses and bacteria. When an antibody binds to something, it sends a signal to white blood cells (such as macrophages) that says “I’ve found something bad! Destroy it!” White blood cells will then "eat" the bacteria or virus and destroy it.
Antimicrobial peptides ([proteins] also called host defence peptides) are an evolutionarily conserved component of the innate immune response and are found among all classes of life. These peptides are potent, broad spectrum antibiotics which demonstrate potential as novel therapeutic agents. Antimicrobial peptides have been demonstrated to kill Gram negative and Gram positive bacteria (including strains that are resistant to conventional antibiotics), mycobacteria (including Mycobacterium tuberculosis), enveloped viruses, fungi and even transformed or cancerous cells Unlike the majority of conventional antibiotics it appears as though antimicrobial peptides may also have the ability to enhance immunity by functioning as immunomodulators.
immune system*
by unleashing Pete Dutro inside the organism!!
ONE method of killing foreign cells, and not viruses, involves proteins called complement proteins. These protein float around and when they find a microbe, they either facilitate phagocytosis by other immune cells or they initiate the complement cascade which ends in he formation of the MAC (membrane attack complex) and that effectively kills the microbe. Viruses are killed by other immune cells and in a totally different way.