The below mentioned article provides notes on cell-mediated (cellular) immunity. The cell-mediated or cellular immunity is that where the T-lymphocytes destroy other cells having antigens on their surface without any mediation by antibodies. The precursors of T-lymphocytes produced by stem cells of bone marrow pass through liver and spleen before reaching the thymus where they are processed, hence called thymus-dependent [...]
The B and T-lymphocytes that are yet to encounter an antigen are called naive B and naive T-cells. The naive B-cells that encounter the antigen, proliferate and differentiate into two types of cells: the antibody-secreting plasma cells and the memory B-cells. The plasma cells form the basis of primary immune response, which is the response mounted by the immune system [...]
An antigen (G. anti-against, genos-genus) is such a macromolecules which, upon introduction into the body, stimulates production of antibodies and react specifically with them. The antigenic macromolecules include almost all proteins, most polysaccharides, nucleoproteins, lipoproteins, glycoproteins, and various small bio-chemicals if they are attached to proteins or polypeptides. Antigens are characterized by two essential properties: (i) The ability to cause [...]