The Open Systems Biology Journal

2009, 2 : 8-17
Published online 2009 April 09. DOI: 10.2174/1876392800902010008
Publisher ID: TOSYSBJ-2-8

RESEARCH ARTICLE
 Doomsday Book, Vol. II

William F. Wade, *
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Dartmouth Medical School, Lebanon, NH 03756, USA

* Address correspondence to this author at the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Dartmouth Medical School, Lebanon, NH 03756, USA; Tel: 603-650-6896; Fax: 603-650-6223; E-mail: william.f.wade@dartmouth.edu

ABSTRACT

For humans, power is in part control over their lives. History is a collection of past experiences that empower informed actions. A repertoire is the catalog of your things. A large diverse repertoire can be critical or it can be irrelevant. A great hammer is nice if the job involves a nail. You might have lots of wrenches, but not the one that bends the right way for the “tough nut”. The wrong wrench eventually gets the nut loose and off; the right wrench gets it done faster. The right wrench is needed to turn the tough nut. Specific antibodies (Abs) protect against a number of bacterial, viral, and protozoan infections. Protective, antigen-specific Abs are wrenches that can turn the tough nuts (protective antigens of pathogens). Having the right Abs in advance of an infection makes protection more likely. The immunome comprises all the Abs in the immune system’s tool box. Only a small subset of the immunome protects against certain infectious diseases. Perhaps the immunome needs “outside” instruction in how to maximize its protective Ab capacity in the shortest time possible to maximize vaccine-induced immunity.

Keywords:

Immune response, immunome, B cells, antibody repertoire, vaccines.