This 3D medical animation shows how antibodies stop harmful pathogens from attaching themselves to healthy cells in the blood stream. The animation begins by showing normal red and white blood cells flowing through the blood stream. A single pathogen appears onscreen slowly moving toward its destination on the surface of a cell. The tubular extensions on the pathogen are surface proteins which attach to corresponding surface proteins on a white blood cell, or leukocyte. As the animation continues, more pathogens continue to attach to the white blood cell, rendering it ineffective. During the immune system response, Y-shaped antibodies begin attacking the pathogen, binding to its surface proteins as the pathogen attempts to anchor to the blood cell. The antibodies completely block the pathogen from attaching to the blood cell, "tagging" the pathogen so that one of the immune system's leaner cells, a macrophage, appears onscreen to engulf and digest the pathogen.
Nothing gets across information than a comic with cool faces. I understand sooo much better now
ReplyDelete-Ashley Lau 7J
it keeps lagging
ReplyDeleteOh my god! That's an amazing animation, plus the funny comic strip. I didn't know there were such things as eater cells!
ReplyDeleteThe video looked so cool, especially when the macrophage engulfed the pathogen!
ReplyDeleteAnd at the beginning of the movie, what did the leukocyte do to the pathogens?
This makes it much easier to remember the way antibodies and helper/memory cells work!
ReplyDeleteWow this makes science seem so simple. Still its easier to understand than other explanations.
ReplyDeleteI like the picture for this better
ReplyDelete:D
That was a pretty cool animation!
ReplyDeleteLeila 7F
My favorite part of this short animation was when the macrophage engulfed the pathogen.It made understanding pathogens way easier. :D
ReplyDelete**Erin Flynn 7H
When you showed this to us in class and you explained it, it was very helpful. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThis really helped, thanks for posting it!
ReplyDeleteI have one question: What will happen to the pathogens that have already attached to the white blood cell? In class I believe you said antibodies would attach to the other surface proteins, but then what? Will the macrophage come back? What will happen to the white blood cell?
You never told us about the plasma cell and how it produces antibodies to attack the pathogen. are we going to learn about them? thanks!
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry! I don't know what happened! Natster is me! (Natalie K.)
ReplyDeleteahhhhh!! that is such a cool animation! my favorite part is when the macrophage engulfs the pathogen. It stretches its "arms" out and gives the pathogen a huge "hug"
ReplyDeletevivian
Now I get what the B cells do! Thanks Leslie!
ReplyDeleteThis really helped me understand what antigens look like.
ReplyDeleteOne thing though: White blood Cells have to be nonspecific, right?
Also, how is it that every pathogen has the same molecules that latch on to the White Blood Cell?
this is an awesome animation and it helps me envision how the immune system works.
ReplyDeleteKevin B. 7E
r we going to do a project on this
ReplyDeleteThanks Leslie! This has really helped me understand the whole antibody, white blood cell thing!
ReplyDeleteEmily R. 7F
Sophia m. 7f
ReplyDeletei love macrophages. its so cool that they can just eat up any pathogen that comes into your body. why do our white blood cells have the receptor thingys on them. its like they're asking to be attacked.
That's so cool! I could watch it over and over!
ReplyDeleteI wonder if macrophages have ever eaten anything they weren't supposed to...
Claire, 7H
while doing the homework today, i completely fogot the difference between an antibody and an antigen, so i went on the blog, and poof! haha, thats why i love this blog. =) thanks leslie.
ReplyDelete-gabi g 7b