Characterizing Host Immune Responses by Monitoring Fluorescently Marked Cells

Abstract

A multi-cellular organism is vulnerable to a multitude of challenges including infectious agents and malignancy. To maintain homeostasis, the organism must posses the ability to deter challenges posed at various anatomic sites with the potential to produce distinct pathologies. The immune system has unique attributes that allow rapid arming and deployment of cells upon cognition of danger to neutralize the threat and maintain host integrity. Evidently, innate immune cells derived primarily from the myeloid lineage are involved in the initiation of an immune response. Once induced, the response is developed and maintained due to subsequent recruitment of antigen specific T cells that produce critical effector capacities enabling the host to overcome the challenge. The collaborative nature of the immune cells behooves better understanding of mechanisms underpinning the induction and maintenance of antigen specific T cell responses in vivo, as this information can be effectively used to target the challenges and maintain homeostasis.