helper T cell
- noun
- /ˈhɛlpər tiː sɛl/
- Specialized
:
célula T colaboradora
- When the body detects an infection, helper T cells activate other immune cells to fight off the invaders.
- CD4+ helper T cells
Examples
-
IL-21 promotes T-follicular helper T-cell generation 72.
Blog text (17) -
Entry and infection of helper T cells by HIV, the AIDS virus, are diagrammed schematically.
Academic text (2005) -
Now these TH cells, helper T cells go on to stimulate B cells.
-
Although clearly when you have long standing cases, helper T cells without any question are involved in sustaining that.
-
Furthermore, among the targets of the HIV-1 virus is the helper T cell, whose ordinary function is to orchestrate the response of the attack cells of the immune system.
Academic text (2005) -
It will activate a macrophage or a helper T cell will recognize a complex of of antigen peptide and it will activate AB cell.
-
This quantitative depletion of helper T cells is probably accompanied by functional defects as well, and may partially explain the acquisition of opportunistic infections in many of these patients.
Academic text (1998) -
One of the target-cell molecules is a protein called CD4, which occurs on two cells of the immune system: helper T cells and macrophages. (Helper T cells recognize foreign substances and regulate the immune response to them.)
Academic text (2005) -
One of the target-cell molecules is a protein called CD4, which occurs on two cells of the immune system: helper T cells and macrophages. (Helper T cells recognize foreign substances and regulate the immune response to them.)
Academic text (2005) -
Helper T cells play a crucial role in the immune response by stimulating helper T cells to produce antibodies.
Synonyms
1
4.9
A white blood cell that helps other immune cells fight infections
A white blood cell that helps the body fight infection by guiding other immune cells
A white blood cell that helps control the immune system and that HIV attacks
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is compositionally built: 'helper' modifies 'T cell', so a speaker can infer it is a type of cell that 'helps' — i.e., a T cell with a helping function. However, the technical meaning of 'T' (immunological classification, CD4 receptor, lymphokine secretion) is domain-specific and not predictable from general vocabulary, so a learner would get the broad idea but not the precise biomedical sense.
Etymology
Helper T cell gets its name from its job: a T cell called a helper because it 'helps' other immune cells by sending signals, like a coach telling players what to do when germs appear. That's why the name means a cell that 'wakes up' and supports other immune cells.