Besides the ability to move by amoeboid action, white blood cells have other physiological attributes that contribute to their function in the body. There are three types of white blood cells, all having different physiological attributes (ôWhite Blood Cellö). The granulocytes have differently staining granules in their cytoplasm; these granules in Natural Killer Cells contain components that can precipitate the lysis of neighboring cells (ôGranulocyte;ö ôGranuleö).
Another type of white blood cell is the lymphocyte. Lymphocytes are either T cells or B cells, both of which are part of the bodyÆs immune system. T cells have the ability to detect specific antigens, enabling them to destroy the target cells that express those antigens, and some T cells can also turn off the immune response once the antigen has been eliminated (ôT Cellö). B cells secrete antibodies that destroy antigens by binding to them so that phagocytes can target them more easily (ôB Cellö).
The third type of white blood cell is the monocyte (ôWhite Blood Cellö). Monocytes are physiologically capable of digesting foreign substances found in the body by enveloping them in their cell membrane and then assimilating them (ôPhagocytosisö).
The physiological properties of white blood cells, then, allow them to function both as part of the blood system and as part of the immune system (ôWhite Blood Cellsö). The blood transports the white blood cells to the site where they can perform their function, so there is a symbiotic relationship between the blood and the cells (ôBloodö).
ôB Cell.ö Wikipedia. Retrieved on October 7, 2005 from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B_cell
ôBlood.ö Wikipedia. Retrieved on October 7, 2005 from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood
ôGranule.ö Wikipedia. Retrieved on October 7, 2005 from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granule
ôGranulocyte.ö Wikipedia. Retrieved on October 7
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