Final answer:
Helper T cells orchestrate the immune response by secreting cytokines that direct other immune cells such as macrophages and B cells, enhancing their efficiency and controlling their activity to prevent excessive or autoimmune responses.
Step-by-step explanation:
Helper T cells play an essential role in coordinating the immune response by stimulating macrophages at the infection site and activating B cells for somatic hypermutation. The advantage of having Helper T cells mediate these processes, rather than macrophages and B cells activating on their own, lies in the organized and regulated response that is crucial for effectively dealing with pathogens without causing excessive or autoimmune responses.
Helper T cells manage the immune response by secreting cytokines, which serve as messengers to activate or control the activities of other immune system cells, including macrophages and B cells. This is vital as it ensures a more efficient and targeted immune response. For instance, cytokines released by Helper T cells can enhance the pathogen-killing functions of macrophages, influence innate immunity and assist in B cell antibody class switching and affinity maturation through somatic hypermutation.
The activation of T cells is a crucial step in the immune response. Macrophages and B cells can present antigens with MHC complexes, but it is the activation of T cells, especially Helper T cells, that fully bridges the innate and adaptive arms of the immune system, leading to a more effective response against the pathogens.