Page 81 - The Miracle of the Immune System
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Cells on Duty in the System
Helper T cells secrete a molecule called lymphokine to stimulate oth-
er cells. This molecule somehow turns on a switch in other cells and starts
off the war alarm.
The ability of the helper T cell to produce a molecule, which activates
another cell, is a very important process.
First, the production of this molecule is related to an impending war
strategy. It is obvious that the cells cannot make up this strategy them-
selves, nor can the strategy come about by sheer coincidence.
Developing a strategy would not be enough either. The molecule in
the cell, which will switch on the production key in the other cell, should
be synthesized accurately. For this, it has to be perfectly aware of the
chemical structure of the opposite cell.
A mistake made in the production of this molecule alone would par-
alyze the defence system entirely. This is because an army without com-
munication would be destroyed even before it launched its defence.
The existence of this molecule alone suffices to prove the absurdity
of the theory of evolution. This is because the prerequisite of the system
is the existence of this molecule right from the outset. If helper T cells fail-
ed to alert other cells with the help of this molecule, the human body
would surrender to viruses.
Killer T cells
The killer T cells are the most efficient elements of the defence sys-
tem. In previous chapters, we have studied how viruses are inactivated by
proteins called antibodies. There are cases, however, when antibodies
cannot reach out to a virus which has invaded a cell. On such occasions,
killer T cells kill the sick cell which is invaded by the virus.
A closer examination of how killer T cells kill sick cells would reveal
a great wisdom and an artistry in creation.
The killer T cells first have to distinguish between normal cells and
those in which invaders hide. They deal with this problem with the help