Genes and immunity
There is a reason why many people look like their family members and not their friends. Its something in our bodies; something in our cells; in all 37.2 trillion of them; molecules called genes. They are the basic units of hereditary; which is the passing down of certain traits from generation to generation.
Genes determine the traits that are passed on from generation to generation; some examples of these traits include eye color, height and skin tone.
These genes are contained within thread-like structures called chromosomes. Almost everyone has twenty-three pairs of these chromosomes; one pair from the mother and the other from the father; that explains why we share bodily features with both our moms and dad's.
Immunity on the other hand, are the bodies defensive mechanisms. It is how the body defends our organs from getting
destroyed or affected from parasites and other harmful substances that may find their way into our bodies.
The immune system; protects us against infectious agents. What this system does it to coordinate immune responses by bringing forth two types of cells, phagocytes and lymphocytes who work hand in hand to defend the body when its attacked.
The phagocytes are more of the "immediate action takers", and so almost as soon as they come into contact with the pathogens; which are disease causing organisms, they deal with them. They do this by engulfing; sort of "eating" them, by taking them in whole and destroying them.
Lymphocytes work in an almost opposite way; by producing some substances known as antibodies to fight the pathogens; to be able to do this they must first be able to recognize some specific molecules on the surface of the pathogens; antigens to be able to know which specific antibody to produce.
In that, we can conclude that one main difference between phagocytes and lymphocytes are that, phagocytes generate same immune responses for all antigens whiles lymphocytes generate different immune responses for different antigens.
Genes determine the traits that are passed on from generation to generation; some examples of these traits include eye color, height and skin tone.
These genes are contained within thread-like structures called chromosomes. Almost everyone has twenty-three pairs of these chromosomes; one pair from the mother and the other from the father; that explains why we share bodily features with both our moms and dad's.
Immunity on the other hand, are the bodies defensive mechanisms. It is how the body defends our organs from getting
destroyed or affected from parasites and other harmful substances that may find their way into our bodies.
The immune system; protects us against infectious agents. What this system does it to coordinate immune responses by bringing forth two types of cells, phagocytes and lymphocytes who work hand in hand to defend the body when its attacked.
The phagocytes are more of the "immediate action takers", and so almost as soon as they come into contact with the pathogens; which are disease causing organisms, they deal with them. They do this by engulfing; sort of "eating" them, by taking them in whole and destroying them.
Lymphocytes work in an almost opposite way; by producing some substances known as antibodies to fight the pathogens; to be able to do this they must first be able to recognize some specific molecules on the surface of the pathogens; antigens to be able to know which specific antibody to produce.
In that, we can conclude that one main difference between phagocytes and lymphocytes are that, phagocytes generate same immune responses for all antigens whiles lymphocytes generate different immune responses for different antigens.
