Question

Aly and John are studying the the body’s defense system.  Aly insists that the action of dendritic cells is part of the nonspecific second line of defense, but John insists that it is part of a specific immune response in the third line of defense.  How would you explain to them that they are both correct?

Answer 1

A non-specific immune system is an immune cell (such as a macrophage, neutrophil, or dendritic cell) that responds to many antigens, not just one antigen. Non-specific immune cells function in the first line of defense against infection or injury. Dendritic cells are cells that bind antigens and alert the lymphocytes of infection, those directing T cells to make an immune response.

The dendritic cells are most important for activating the third line of defense in your body.Dendritic cells reside in your tissues, waiting for an invader to arrive. When they find one, they engulf it and digest it. Then they select pieces of the invader called antigens and put them on their surfaces. The dendritic cells go back to lymph nodes which are filled with immune cells. Here they show the antigens, called antigen presentation, to two types of lymphocytes, T-cells and B-cells, activating them for a full immune response.

Hence, both the statements about the dendrite cells are absolutely correct.