Page 132 - The Miracle in the Immune System

R
L
M
N NORMAL
O
A
L
L
C CELL
E
B BLEB CELL
B
E
L
BEGINNING
N
D
O
C CONDENSED
E
S
E
D
N
O
N
I
A
M
T
C CHROMATIN APOPTOSIS
H
R
N NUCLEAR
E
L
C
U
R
A
S
R
F FRAGMENTS
A
N
T
E
G
M
Although they are not infected,
the T cells of AIDS patients die
by passing through all the sta-
ges of apoptosis. Mounting an
immune response against an
intruder virus, helper T cells
multiply. These T cells die in a
few days after they have fulfilled N NEIGHBOURING
I
N
R
G
B
E
U
H
I
O
G
their function. However, many
L
L
E
healthy T cells of AIDS patients C CELL
commit suicide before attemp-
ting to struggle with the infecti-
on. First the cell shrinks and C CELL
L
E
L
pulls away from its neighbours
G
M
R
A
T
S
E
N
(top right). Then blebs appear on F FRAGMENTS
the surface (making the cell ap-
pear to boil), and the chromatin
(nuclear DNA complexed with
proteins) condenses at the ed-
ges of the nucleus. Soon the
nucleus, and then the cell itself,
breaks up, and the cell frag-
ments are quickly ingested by
other cells in the vicinity.