what's the Innate Immune System

The innate immune system is made up of various receptors, natural antibodies, messenger molecules (such as interferon), complement proteins, and natural killer (NK) cells. The innate immune system is our first-line of defense against cancer and infectious disease. The innate response works by recognizing distinct patterns in microorganisms and reacting to them. This pattern recognition is innately coded into our immune system DNA and does not require us to have prior exposure to the microbial agent. In the past, the innate immunity of vertebrates has been considered archaic and obsolete, but today the innate immune system is regarded as essential to the function of adaptive immunity and survival. Natural Antibodies.

Natural antibodies are always present and do not require outside stimulus to appear. The main reason for their continual presence is their ability to target dangerous agents that are very common in the environment. These antibodies are not only produced by an effective immune system, but are also able to promote a more effective immune response. After the initial identification of the microbial invader, other antibody types are elicited as a part of the adaptive immune response. The Complement system.

The identification or tagging of the infected or malignant cell by an antibody is part of what’s called the complement tagging process. The complement process is part of the innate immune system, and it provides the initial, if incomplete, antimicrobial defense. The complement system serves three main functions:

1. Opsonization. This involves tagging damaged or infected cells that need to be destroyed and cleared from the system.

2. Chemotatic response. The complement system sends out signals that mobilize immune cells and draw them to the site of infection.

3. Membrane attack complex (MAC). MAC is formed to destroy tagged cells. Essentially, MAC is an assembly of complement proteins that punch a hole in the lipid (fat) membrane of the invader, allowing water to rush in the burst the membrane like an over inflated balloon. Some bacteria and cancer cells have an ability to destroy MAC if its formation is slow, so MA speed is essential.

It is important to note that the cell membranes of animals are made up of two layers of lipids. Animal cells appear as a minute drop of water inside a bubble made up of two layers of fat. Because of this, many viruses wrap themselves in a portion of the host’s lipid membrane when they bud out from the infected host cell. By wrapping themselves in a portion of host membrane, viruses protect their fragile RNA or DNA fragments within the lipid envelope. The envelople also acts as a cloak, allowing the virus particle to evade the host immune system by masquerading as a normal, albeit small, cell. Viruses that wrap themselves in host membrane are called enveloped viruses. A partial list of envelope and non-enveloped viruses is shown below.

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