What role do the helper t cells play in the immune response?
1 Answer
T helper cells are a type of T cells that assist other white blood cells in immunologic processes.
Explanation:
They help the activity of other immune cells by releasing T cell cytokines. These cells help suppress or regulate immune responses. They are essential in B cell antibody class switching. They are important in the activation and growth of cytotoxic T cells. They are important in maximising bactericidal activity of phagocytes like macrophages.
Importance of helper T cells can be seen from HIV virus. Mature T helper cells express a surface protein CD4 and are referred to as CD4+ T cells.
In advanced stages of HIV infection, loss of functional CD4+ T cells leads to the symptomatic stage of infection called AIDS. If the HIV virus is detected early in blood then continuous therapy can delay the time at which this happens.
