We have discussed in lecture that the detection receptors of the immune system detect only few antigens which are mostly surface or internal proteins on and within microbes. However humans express immune system effector function against pollen a non-microbe structure. Explore why we react with allergens.
Also why are we so reactive with allergens? Do you think this was part of the original creation?
DUE DEC 1
It seems to me that we are talking about a type 1 hypersensitivity reaction, a reaction mediated by IgE Ab where the body reacts to an allergen causing an immunogenic response. What happens here is that IgE causes degranulation of mast cells and basophils when it comes into contact with the allergen leading an immediate immunoreaction, or in more extreme cases, anaphylaxis.
ReplyDeleteThe first time that the body is introduced to the allergen, the T cells stimulate B cells which develop into plasma cells and produce IgE Ab specific to the allergen. The IgE binds to mast cells and is prepared for the next encounter. When the body is introduced to the allergen again the IgE on the mast cells bind to the allergen , cross-linking the IgE and the body which then causes a release of histamine and other mediators from the mast cells (and basophils) to combat it.
I could not find a mechanism of allergen recognition for IgE that explains the high reactivity of allergens, nor one that explains any recognition whatsoever. Is it because the variable regions of the IgE happen to have a similar structure to that of an antigen that the IgE is capable of binding to? Is it possible that there is a time during early development where the body acclimates to what it should consider as “normal” and the body happened to not be introduced to this allergen in high enough amounts? Otherwise I cannot see a reason why the immune system would activate in self-defense against a harmless allergen.
Kyle, you raise an interesting point at the end of your post. Honestly, I’m not sure either, from my research, what causes the unique reaction by our bodies toward these allergens. I’m pretty sure that your first postulation is more likely correct, as I do believe that IgE acts as any other antibody, in that it requires a matching epitope to elicit an immunological response. The second point may or may not be involved. Hopefully, future research can answer these questions for us.
DeleteThanks Kyle, from research I too have found some evidence that the allergens deal with IgE. You bring up some interesting points in your post about how the specificity of the binding of the allergens to the IgE. Like Campbell had said it would be beneficial to see what future research can lead to a conclusion of how this truly works.
DeleteThis applies directly into the question above regarding whether it was part of original creation. My perspective is that hypersensitivity reactions such as these could not have been part of original creation. My reasoning is that:
ReplyDelete1. In many cases these reactions lead to death and death was not part of original creation. However, it could be argued that original creation experienced a much more mild reaction never leading to death.
2. The human body in original creation was likely working at perfect efficiency. If the body then is attacking non-dangerous substances as if they are dangerous then the human body is expending energy and resources to accomplish things that are not needed, and would not have worked at perfect efficiency.
3. I do not think that Adam and Eve were having issues with anaphylactic reactions in the garden or any type of immune reaction since original creation at this time was, in fact, “perfect,” and likely worked together perfectly. Animosity between created things was not introduced until the fall.
I think Kyle's thoughts and reasoning about original creation is interesting. Although I do agree Adam and Eve most likely never experienced any sort of anaphylactic reactions, they did need protection from allergens such as pollen. Adam and Eve had noses with nose hair and eyes with eyelashes. These hairs are natural defenses on the body to prevent an over exposure of allergens and pollen. Since they had these defenses from the beginning, there must have still been potential harm to the first humans. Perhaps these defenses were given to them to pass down to their children who were indeed after the fall when death became possible. As Kyle pointed out there was not yet any animosity between creation pre-fall and creation was good. Nose hair properly stopped pollen from effecting the lungs of Adam and Eve. But, post fall there may have been a dramatic decrease in efficiency by the nose hairs to preform properly.
DeleteTim, I like your reply to Kyle. It is certainly interesting to think about. Personally I am drawn toward conclusion of yours, in that I think there were a lot of things in Adam and Eve that were not used pre-Fall. However, because God is sovereign over time, He foresaw the fall, and preemptively created humans with the ability to survive post-Fall, even though they lived pre-Fall. This discussion also spans to animals, such as lions and other carnivorous creature. What did they eat prior to the Fall? One perspective I greatly enjoyed came from a scientist who postulated that these meat-eating animals had two sets of DNA, one which operated pre-Fall, and one which was activated post-Fall. Thus, by this theory, it would seem that Adam and Eve “could” have had and anaphylaxic reaction, but never did.
DeletePersonally, I am intrigued by all three responses. I agree with Kyle that Adam and Eve were not affected by allergies pre-fall but I very much appreciate and understand Tim's perspective about the hair and eyelashes because, in a general sense, I have asked similar questions. In the end, I agree with Campbell's response that most likely God, in His sovereignty, equipped us with post-fall characteristics during the pre-fall knowing what was to come. My only justification for thinking that allergies were not part of original creation is that allergies require to become too sensitive to a particular antigen that in and of itself is not poisonous to the body. I suppose that argument could be made for other substances as well but my reasoning orginates in experience. I personally do not have allergies while my mother suffers pretty severely from them. I can roll around in the grass and would not have an allergic reaction while if my mother did this should most certainly would be itchy and experiencing a runny nose and swelling/watering of the eyes. My point is that those pollens are not inherently poisonous as I have never been poisoned by them. However, the way the body responds to those antigens is what is making it seem as though they are poisonous.
DeleteTo answer the question on why we react to allergens is not simple to do. Scientists are still unsure why some people react so dramatic to allergens and why others do not. They understand that the immune system's job is to protect the body from bacteria, viruses, and other foreign invaders yet are harmed by allergens. When an allergen infiltrates the body the immune system tends to release too much histamine which causes problems. This leads to anaphylactic shock. Symptoms include hives, redness, inflammation, and etc. Some may ask, "What's the problem with having allergies? Aren't there medicines to cure that?" Well the issue with the typical allergy medication is that is blocks histamine receptors. Histamine, in proper concentrations, is still a vital party of immunity and even digestion.
ReplyDeleteThere are so many problems caused by allergies, yet researchers are still completely baffled at why there are allergies in the first place.
Going theological with Tim's post, I think that allergies are a result of the Fall. I think this perhaps goes without saying, but everything in this world is tainted by the effects of the fall, and I believe that before the fall, allergens did not exist in the form that we see them today. They may have been present, but we did not have the same immune responses to them back pre-fall that we do now. Now we experience hyper-sensitivity reactions, whereas pre-fall, without our perfect bodies, we would not have reacted to the allergens. There would have been no reason to because nothing would have been harmful to the body. God did indeed design us with barriers against infection I think in His preeminence as Campbell mentioned, but we would not have reacted the same way before sin entered the world as we do now.
DeleteAllergic reactions occur when allergens come into contact with the skin, nose, eyes, respiratory tract, and gastrointestinal tract. It is a common immune response that happens soon after contact with the allergen. Many allergic reactions are mild, while others can be severe and life-threatening. Substances that don't bother most people can trigger allergic reactions in certain people.
ReplyDeleteAllergies are an overreaction of the body's natural defense system that helps fight infections. In an allergic reaction, the immune system starts fighting substances that are usually harmless as though these substances were trying to attack the body. We must understand the immune systems response to allergens in our body to understand why we are so reactive to things like bee stings and pollen.
Common allergic reactions are linked to the production of IgE in the human body. Each IgE antibody can be very specific, reacting against certain pollens and other allergens. This is where we get the variations in people’s reaction to a certain type of pollen. When a person is exposed to an allergen, the body starts producing a large quantity of IgE. Subsequent exposure to the same allergen may result in a reaction. Symptoms will depend on the type and amount of allergen.
As Kyle said above, when discussing allergens, we are discussing IgE antibodies. Allergens activate the IgE Ab, which in turn causes basophils and mast cells to release compounds to induce inflammation. The overall affect of IgE interaction with allergens varies from person to person. For some, it is a simple infection, which quickly passes through, while others may be hospitalized due to anaphylaxis. The interesting thing about allergens, is that even though they are non-microbes, like pollen, they are still recognized by the immune system. Furthermore, the development of IgE is almost identical to a bacterial infection producing IgG. As the posters above me have mentioned, Science has been in the dark about how exactly these antibodies recognize and attach to allergens.
ReplyDeleteAs to whether or not allergens and its reactions existed before the Fall, I know we can never know truly. That said, I would assume that allergens, like pollen, existed prior to the fall. However, I am sure that any contact Adam and Eve had with pollen or any other allergen did not cause any allergic response. I highly doubt that Adam and Eve ever expressed symptoms of allergies.
Thanks Campbell for the post. I too have found from my research that allergens can be associated with IgE. According to what you have said about IgE and IgG I found that the responses are very similar when looked at closer. Your answer to the Pre-Fall and Post-Fall question shows how God has always been in control over all and has known all things. From this we know that God has provided for all mankind before the Fall, and prepared us for after. I like the idea too how God has made us with the responses to the allergens, but only Post-Fall we have the reactions.
DeleteIn response to those comments above me – allergen is an antigenic substance capable of producing immediate hypersensitivity. Such as pollen allergen: any protein antigen of weed, tree, or grass pollens capable of causing allergic asthma or rhinitis; pollen antigen extracts are used in skin testing for pollen sensitivity and in immunotherapy for pollen allergy. This pollen antigen triggers the activation of IgE-mediated allergy as above comments stated. One study claimed that it has been shown that potent pollen allergens elute very quickly and in large amounts from pollens grains when they come into contact with the mucosa and there are different mechanisms favoring the release of respirable allergen-containing particles. However, why there are certain people who get allergy and some don’t? In nonallergic persons allergens induce normal IgG responses which suggesting that the allergenicity of a given antigen is primarily determined by its immunogenicity in combination with certain host and environmental conditions that favor the development of an IgE response. Thus, beside the structure of the IgE and the allergens, unless there are enough triggers or favorable conditions which make the allergic reaction occurs or else it’s not possible.
ReplyDeleteAn allergen is a specific antigen to an individual that causes a Type 1 hypersensitivity via IgE responses. A Type 1 reaction is when the antigen (allergen) binds to the CD4+ cells. This stimulates the B-cells which produce IgE. This process differs from the normal immune response because normally IgG, IgM and/or IgA are the antibody produced. IgE coats the membrane surfaces of the mast cells and basophils sensitizing them so that when the allergen is reintroduced into to the body the result is degranulation and the production of histamine, leukotriene and prostaglandin. Usually IgE is used to protect against parasitic infections.
ReplyDeleteWe are so sensitive to allergens because we have IgE which is a type of antibody that plays a major role in allergic diseases. When enough cross-linking occurs, the IgE is activated by helper T cells which making the mast cells explode the histamine and other inflammatory substances, called mediators. Was this part of the original creation? I think probably not. I might see it as something that was given as punishment after the fall. Just like death and other diseases. Were diseases there before the fall? Was death there before the fall? If death wasn’t in the original creation and only after the fall as a punishment to men who sinned against God, then I would say that it’s possible that these allergens reaction was given after the fall and not before the fall.
ReplyDeleteUltimately, when we are talking about why our bodies react to certain microbes or not, it's because the body does not recognize it; it is foreign. And there are many microbes and pathogens that every human immune system will recognize; allergens are not one of those things. Everyone above has already succinctly stated the process by which an allergic reaction takes place. I think the really interesting thing about allergies is our bodies' different reactions to them. Many people are extremely reactive to pollen while others are not. I think the answer lies in the structure of pollen as compared with our bodies' structure of the IgE Ab that we produce. Yes, there is a conserved section of the Ab, but there must be a variable part of the Ab that is causing such a strong reaction in some people and nothing in others. Are all these "variable regions" the same in each person who elicits this immune response? Food for thought
ReplyDeleteTo answer the question of whether allergens and allergic responses were part of creation, we must assume that God made everything with a purpose. The function of allergens pre-Fall is not the same as how they react to our bodies now, after Adam’s sin. Pre-fall, they may have existed and caused no reaction to the body because everything was made good. God in His sovereignty (as stated by Campbell) knew that Adam would sin and that the things that were created good would decay from their original created state.
ReplyDeleteAs many others have said above, I too have found that when discussing allergens, IgE antibodies would be where we would need to look. The IgE antibodies are reacting with the allergens and can cause many different types of affects in different people. IgE is very similar to that of IgG as a bacterial infection. Research has not lead to any specific details on how these immune responses actually happen for allergens, but based on what I have learned from the research that I have done, I believe it has something to do with IgE.
ReplyDeleteThe question about Pre-Fall or Post-Fall allergens is never going to be answered, but as for my belief God made man knowing that we would Fall. So I believe that He has made the allergens before the Fall. Pre-Fall Adam and Eve would not have experienced the symptoms related to the allergens that we associate today. Only Post-Fall would they have experienced the responses to the allergens that are familiar today.
The immune system is in charge of protective the body against bacteria and viruses that case potential harm. In some cases, the immune system will protect against substances that typically do not pose a threat to the human body. These substances are known as allergens, and when the body reacts to them, it causes an allergic reaction. Allergens that cause a reaction can come in contact with the skin, be inhaled, or be eaten. Allergens could be pollen, dust, pet hair, certain foods, and some insects.
ReplyDeleteThese allergens can pose a threat to the body’s immune system and the response is over stimulating. For example, a person can get stung by a bee and just get redness. But when that same person is stung a second time, the immune system will recognize the poison and the body will get hives, and can even affect the persons breathing. Different allergens can cause different reactions those reactions could be mild to severe. The immune response that is responsible is IgE its main job is to response to an unknown threat.
I believe it was part of the original creation because it is there to protect us from simple stimuli. Pre-fall I believe the IgE was still there in Adam and Eve but they were dormant. And Post-fall they became active to protect us from the different stimuli.
Doctors now understand that an allergic reaction is typically an overreaction to a foreign substance that does not actually pose a threat. However, they are not fully aware of why certain people experience them. We have concluded that they are often hereditary, meaning that someone is at a higher risk of developing an allergy if someone in their family is allergic. As some have pointed out, the development of IgE antibodies plays a major role in the allergic reaction, they not only coat B-cells but will actually stimulate the release of Histamine, Leukotriene, and prostaglandin. Their release will often be the main proponent in the development of the symptoms commonly associated with an allergic reaction.
ReplyDeleteI believe that allergens were around from the beginning as they are harmless to most. However, if an allergic reaction is indeed the unnecessary activation of the immune system, it implies that there is an appropriate response. I believe that this response was achieved without failure until the fall. Our pathways functioned smoothly and perfectly. With the introduction of sin and death in our world, we have now developed faulty processes in our immune system and really every system. The faulty processes are often the basis for most any disease we come across.
Like many have said, the presence of our defenses prior to the fall is a testament to the wisdom and sovereignty of God. We don’t serve a God that merely reacts to ever changing circumstances like a man frantically trying to cover up the holes in the boat before it sinks. But rather is fully aware of what is currently going on and has a complete understanding of what will happen. As a result, He has chosen to provide us with an immune system that can not only protect us from pathogens around in the beginning but has actually implemented various processes that allow it to properly respond in order to effectively combat the foreign substances. It’s really something that is easily overlooked and taken for granted. It’s truly amazing that we serve a living God that has chosen to provide us with the necessary resources in order to survive in this fallen world.
ReplyDeleteWell written, I totally agree!!
DeleteOur immune system controls how our body protects itself. Our immune system overreacts by producing antibodies called Immunoglobulin E (IgE). IgE travels to cells that release chemicals, causing an allergic reaction. This reaction usually causes symptoms in the nose, lungs, throat, sinuses, ears, lining of the stomach or on the skin. Each type of IgE has specific "radar" for each type of allergen. That's why many people are only allergic to peanuts ; they only have the IgE antibodies specific to peanuts; while others have allergic reactions to multiple allergens because they have many more types of IgE antibodies. However It is still disputable why some substances trigger allergies and others do not, also why some people have allergic reactions while others do not.
ReplyDelete