Dissecting the Immune System By: Daniella Marroquin, Sergio Baez, Joe Williams SMASH 7/7/09

Immune System The immune system is what fights off viruses and bacteria in your body. The main parts of the immune system are located in the spleen, in the bone marrow, and in the lymph nodes. B-cells, T-cells, Dendritic cells, and macrophages play a major role in the fight against the bacteria and viruses.

Cell Location B-cells, T-cells, and Dendritic cells are located in the bone marrow, spleen, and in the lymph nodes. B Cell T Cell Dendritic Cell

The Project The point of the project was to see the difference in B, T, and dendritic cells and how they look differently in a mouse with a gene knock-out.

How to find B-cells, T-cells, and Dendritic cells in a mouse

Materials used Dissection scissors Tweezers Pipette Pins

Making the cells glow We used a staining process on the cells to be able to differentiate between the types of cells. This process worked by using antibodies with fluorescent tags to identify the cells. A specific wavelength of light is used to make the fluorescent tag glow.

FCS: The process of identifying the cells CD19: B cells CD3: T cells CD11c: DC's

Knock-out versus Normal Bone Marrow: Normal K.O. B Cells : + -- T Cells : + +< D C. : + + Spleen: Normal K.O. B Cells : T Cells : D C. : + ++ CD19 CD3 CD11c

Conclusion We performed this project because we wanted to see the difference in cell types and how they look compared to the cells of a mouse with a gene knocked-out. We learned that the immune system in a normal mouse is can provide greater protection because the mouse with the gene knocked-out doesn’t contain as many B and T cells and therefore, has a much weaker immune system.