Immunity system complexity (Introduction)

by David Turell , Wednesday, June 24, 2020, 15:39 (1613 days ago) @ dhw

DAVID: A new response does not mean a new method of response. Antibodies always form in the same way by taking notice of a protein or series of proteins on the invader's surface and forming a killer antibody to neutralize it.

dhw: And so the “instructions” are to kill or neutralize the invader with antibodies. However, each response, i.e. each new antibody, has to be new. We are in agreement.

DAVID: No, the in instructions are how to make the proper antibody for each and every infection. Of course each antibody is different, noting a specific protein on the invader.

dhw: How can the immune system already contain instructions on how to make the "proper" antibody for a disease that doesn’t yet exist? The very fact that some diseases require outside intervention or can never be eradicated proves that there are no instructions on how to make the “proper” antibody for each and every infection.

For once and all: all antibodies are made by the same cellular process. The output product differs only in that it identifies the protein in the new infection.

DAVID: […] the cells contain the instructional information for their standardized responses, and add new instructional information for the newly developed antibody response to their ever expanding library of responses. All by original design of the cells. Remember the newborn comes with a blank library and builds it over a lifetime.

dhw: Yes indeed, the cells’ standard response to a new disease is to try and kill or neutralize the cause, and it does so by developing new antibodies and hence an ongoing library of responses. Unfortunately, they do not always succeed. Thank you for confirming my two bolds: 1) the immune system has had to come up with new answers every time, thus building its library of responses, and 2) the immune system does NOT contain instructions on how to counter all diseases. We appear to be in complete agreement.

DAVID: Yes, the immune cells can only follow the instructions they have given to them as fetuses.

dhw:You say yes and proceed to state the opposite! My 2) states that the immune cells are NOT given instructions to counter all diseases, because as you said above, the cells add NEW instructional information (= instructions in my language) for the NEWLY developed antibody response to their ever expanding library.

Again. For once and for all: all antibodies are made by the same cellular process. The output product differs only in that it identifies the protein in the new infection. The new product is added to the library.