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Humoral Factors of Innate Immune System (view source)
Revision as of 15:53, 13 August 2010
, 15:53, 13 August 2010Created page with "===Lysozyme=== * Lysozyme is one of the major bactericidal agents in secretions * Helps to protect vulnerable sites such as the eyes and nasal passages * Exerts bactericidal effe..."
===Lysozyme===
* Lysozyme is one of the major bactericidal agents in secretions
* Helps to protect vulnerable sites such as the eyes and nasal passages
* Exerts bactericidal effects by digesting bacterial cell walls
** Gram-positive bacteria are more sensitive to lysozyme action than gram-negative bacteria
** The outer membrane of gram-negative bacteria helps to protect them
===[[Complement|Complement]]===
* The Complement system is a group of about 30 proteins within the body fluids of all vertebrates and some invertebrates
* Complement promotes '''phagocytosis''' or causes lysis of an invading organism
* Complement acts as a cascade, like the blood clotting system
** The early enzymes in the cascade are bound to invading bacteria and fungi
*** They have an affinity for components of microbial cell membranes
** This binding initiates a cascade so that the binding of one molecule will eventually lead to the fixation of millions of later molecules
* The early components act as targets for phagocytes
* The later components punch holes in bacteria, causing their lysis
===Interferons===
* Lysozyme and complement have only marginal effects on virus infections because these are intracellular
** The body has evolved non-specific mechanisms to protect against viruses
*** The most notable of these is the interferons
* Interferons are small polypeptides produced mainly by virus-infected cells
** Interact with uninfected cells and render them resistant to infection
*** This resistance is mainly due to the production of enzymes that digest viral nucleic acids
[[Category:Innate Immune System]]
* Lysozyme is one of the major bactericidal agents in secretions
* Helps to protect vulnerable sites such as the eyes and nasal passages
* Exerts bactericidal effects by digesting bacterial cell walls
** Gram-positive bacteria are more sensitive to lysozyme action than gram-negative bacteria
** The outer membrane of gram-negative bacteria helps to protect them
===[[Complement|Complement]]===
* The Complement system is a group of about 30 proteins within the body fluids of all vertebrates and some invertebrates
* Complement promotes '''phagocytosis''' or causes lysis of an invading organism
* Complement acts as a cascade, like the blood clotting system
** The early enzymes in the cascade are bound to invading bacteria and fungi
*** They have an affinity for components of microbial cell membranes
** This binding initiates a cascade so that the binding of one molecule will eventually lead to the fixation of millions of later molecules
* The early components act as targets for phagocytes
* The later components punch holes in bacteria, causing their lysis
===Interferons===
* Lysozyme and complement have only marginal effects on virus infections because these are intracellular
** The body has evolved non-specific mechanisms to protect against viruses
*** The most notable of these is the interferons
* Interferons are small polypeptides produced mainly by virus-infected cells
** Interact with uninfected cells and render them resistant to infection
*** This resistance is mainly due to the production of enzymes that digest viral nucleic acids
[[Category:Innate Immune System]]