Lymphocytes

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White blood cells protect the body from infection. There are several kinds of lymphocytes that have different functions to perform. The most common types of lymphocytes are B lymphocytes (“B cells”). These are responsible for making antibodies. There are several subsets of T lymphocytes (T cells).

Inflammatory T cells  recruit macrophages and neutrophils to infection sites or other tissue damage. Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL’s) kill virus-infected and possibly tumor cells. Helper T cells enhance the production of antibodies by B cells.

Although bone marrow is the ultimate source of lymphocytes, the lymphocytes that will become T cells migrate from the bone marrow to the thymus to mature. Both B cells and T cells also take up residence in lymph nodes, the spleen and other tissues where they encounter antigens, continue to divide by mitosis and mature into fully functional cells.

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