Overview of the lymphoid immune system
l A. Lymphocytes evolve from pluripotent stem cells located in the bone marrow, and differentiate into two major functional cell types:
l 1. B lymphocytes, comprising the humoral immune system, whose ultimate function is the production of antibodies
l 2. T lymphocytes, comprising the cellular immune system, whose functions include
– a. Direct killing of foreign or intracellularly infected cells, cytotoxic T cells
– b. Fine control of the immune response through the secretion of cytokines, helper and suppressor T cells.
