Pre-requisites: Consent of instructor.
Expanded description and explanation: The term "immunity" is derived from the Latin word immunitas, which referred to the exemption from legal prosecution offered to Roman senators during their term of office. Historically, immunity has meant protection or defense from disease, and, more specifically, infectious disease. Inadequate host defense mechanisms form a major basis for disease. This module will review immunity in terms of the cellular and molecular events associated with encounters with microbes and other foreign macromolecules. Systems ranging from the primitive and non-specific (e.g. phagocytosis) to the specialized and complex (e.g. antibodies, complement, cytotoxic T-lymphocytes) will be reviewed for their role in protecting the individual from disease. Specific lecture topics will include: Hematopoiesis, B Cell Development, B Cell Tolerance, T Cell Development, T Cell Tolerance, Macrophage Function, Dendritic Cell Function, APC Regulation of the Immune Response, Production of Effector T Cells, Cytotoxic T Cell Effector Mechanisms, Humoral Immune Response & Ab Function Revisited, Immunological Memory, Complement, and Mucosal Immunity. The teaching format will involve lectures and paper discussions.
This course represents the second course in a 3-course sequence (GMS 6031, GMS 6032 and GMS 6033), dealing with the biological and biochemical aspects of immunology, where the emphasis in this course is on the effector mechanisms of an immune response to microbes and of an immune response. The first course focuses on molecular events critical to the development of an immune response, and the third course focuses on the role of the immune system in health and disease.