Principles and therapeutic applications of adaptive immunity.

B cells; T cells; IMMUNITY; IMMUNE recognition; IMMUNOLOGICAL tolerance; IMMUNE response; CELL populations; HOMEOSTASIS

Adaptive immunity provides protection against infectious and malignant diseases. These effects are mediated by lymphocytes that sense and respond with targeted precision to perturbations induced by pathogens and tissue damage. Here, we review key principles underlying adaptive immunity orchestrated by distinct T cell and B cell populations and their extensions to disease therapies. We discuss the intracellular and intercellular processes shaping antigen specificity and recognition in immune activation and lymphocyte functions in mediating effector and memory responses. We also describe how lymphocytes balance protective immunity against autoimmunity and immunopathology, including during immune tolerance, response to chronic antigen stimulation, and adaptation to non-lymphoid tissues in coordinating tissue immunity and homeostasis. Finally, we discuss extracellular signals and cell-intrinsic programs underpinning adaptive immunity and conclude by summarizing key advances in vaccination and engineering adaptive immune responses for therapeutic interventions. A deeper understanding of these principles holds promise for uncovering new means to improve human health. The processes of adaptive immunity are central to both health and disease. This review presents a comprehensive yet straightforward overview of lymphocyte biology, homing in on how understanding adaptive immunity holds the key to therapies and future discoveries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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