1. Peter C Doherty
was born in the town of
Brisbane and his early school
life was spent attending the
Indooroopilly state high
school. Peter joined the John
Curtin School of Medical
Research in Canberra in 1972
where he met Rolf M.
Zinkernagel, Doherty then
went on to teach at the Wistar
Institute in Philadelphia
between the years of 1975-
1982. Between the years of
1982-1988, Doherty headed
the department of Pathology
at the Curtin School in
Canberra. Doherty currently
splits his time between
researching at St Jude
Children’s Research Hospital in
Tennessee and working in the
Department of Microbiology.
(Britannica, 2016)
Dr Peter Doherty’s
research was all
about looking at how the
body got rid of viral infections
by observing Killer T cells in
mice. Bob Blanden at the
John Curtin School of Medical
Research was researching the
cytotoxic T-cell response,
however after Bob’s lab got
crowded Zinkernagel moved
into Doherty’s lab. After a
while of being in the same lab
Rolf Zinkernagel and Doherty
began collaborating. The two
then discovered T-cells in mice
infected with a lymphocytic
virus called LCMV in which
they were able to get these
cells to attack the cells
infected with the virus.
(AAS, 2016).
General Virus Information
The SOV (2014) state how the immune system destroys
the microbes faster if they enter the body for a second
time, due to the fact that the body recognises them
from previous experience and destroys them before
they multiply. Viral antigens like this are present
everywhere in body, depending on the rate and phase
of infection will determine where they spread to,
however they are not necessarily a systemic immunity.
Klimpel (1996) describes how the existence of a variety
of defences is not surprising due to the diversity, hosts,
body compartments, cells and mechanisms of virus
multiplication. ELSEVIER (2006) states how the immune
system recognizes virus-infected cells through
mechanisms that are not antigen-specific, the cytokines
produced during early phase of the host’s defence do
facilitate activation of subsequent antigen-specific
adaptive immune mechanisms.
Matt
Mice were infected with influenza
virus, which was found to grow in
epithelial cells of respiratory tract. This is
the only place the virus successfully
grew.
Production of Cytokines causes a large
recruitment of cells into affected area in order to
recruit precursor cells which recognize cells infected
with the influenza virus, precursor cells then replicate
and become effective T-cells which then move
back to the virus infected area and kill of the
virus.
Virus was found to move into dendritic cells
of the upper respiratory tract, Dendritic cells
present as the ideal androgen presenting cells for
T-cell stimulation, The dendritic cells then carry viral
peptides, viral mRNA and viral DNA to the lymph
nodes in the throat causing inflammation.
(Inflammation caused by production of
cytokines)
References:- AAS. (2016). Professor Peter Doherty, immunologist. Retrieved from https://www.science.org.au/learning/general-
audience/history/interviews-australian-scientists/professor-peter-doherty#2
- Alberts, B., Johnson, A., Lewis, J., Raff, M., Roberts, K., & Walter, P. (2002). T cells and MHC proteins. Retrieved from
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK26926/
- C, P. (1996). Nobel lecture by peter C. Doherty (50 minutes). Retrieved May 2, 2016, from Nobel Prize,
http://www.nobelprize.org/mediaplayer/index.php?id=1710
- Doherty, P. C. (2007). Challenged by complexity: My Twentieth century in immunology. Annual Review of Immunology, 25(1),
1–19. doi:10.1146/annurev.immunol.25.022106.141644
- DOHERTY, P. C. (2010). ChemInform abstract: Cell-mediated immunity in virus infections (Nobel lecture). ChemInform, 28(50),
no–no. doi:10.1002/chin.199750334
- ELSEVIER (2006). The immune response to influenza infection - article in motion. Retrieved May 8, 2016, from Elsevier,
http://www.rapidreferenceinfluenza.com/chapter/B978-0-7234-3433-7.50011-6/aim/introduction
- Encyclopædia Britannica, I. (2015). Retrieved from Peter C. Doherty: http://www.britannica.com/biography/Peter-C-Doherty
- Klimpel, G. R. (1996). Immune defenses. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK8423/
- Nobelprize.org. Nobel Media AB 2014. Web. 2 May 2016. http://www.nobelprize.org/mediaplayer/index.php?id=1710
- State of Victoria (SOV). (2014, March 31). Immune system. Retrieved May 8, 2016, from Immune System,
https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/immune-system
- Winslow, T. (2016, April 27). 6. Autoimmune diseases and the promise of stem cell-based therapies [Stem cell Information].
Retrieved April 28, 2016, from Stem Cell Information, http://stemcells.nih.gov/info/scireport/pages/chapter6.aspx
Figure 3 (Background):
Fiona Macrae Science Editor In Washington D.c. (2016). Stunning new therapy hunts down and destroys cancer cells. Daily Mail.
Retrieved 8 May 2016, from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3448598/The-living-drug-wipe-cancer-Stunning-new-
therapy-hunts-destroys-diseased-cells-prevents-returning.html
Doherty began his research with the ideas on how
the virus molecule and the histocompatibility protein
molecule, would focus on the surface of a cell and
then altered it, Doherty (2007) states that he and
Zinkernagel’s first experiment viewed this through
whether or not an infected mouse brain contained
CTL effectors. This began through the studies of Paul
Ehrlich, Doherty (2010) found in his research that
through Evans blue injections a mice brain would
show how the brain breaks down along with the
blood brain barrier due to the virus within the dye.
Doherty (1996) states that when the virus is injected
the t cell response kills the virus consequently making
the brain swell, because protein floods into the brain
and the brain can't stand the unbalanced
osmolality and the amount of cerebrospinal fluid
that is needed decreases. This influenced Doherty to
do complex experiments and according to ACC
(2015) they concluded that T
cells have to focus onto the virus
infected cell in the body,
allowing helper T cells to find
the virus infected cell and kill it.
As seen in figure 2 all of this is
possible through Doherty’s
gained knowledge of white
blood cells, including T
and B lymphocytes the three
main T cells, cytotoxic,
helper and an memory.
- MHC (major histocompatibility
complex) molecules are normal
components of healthy cells.
- Helped the immune system to
recognize microorganisms other
than viruses, and react against
certain kinds of self-tissues.
- Doherty and
Zinkernagel
immunized
mice with a
virus causing
meningitis.
- They isolated
the immune T-
killer cells, and
found that they
had to
recognize two
things on the
surface of the
infected cells in
order to kill
them.
Figure 1:
Zinkernagel, R. M., & Doherty, P. C. (1997b). The discovery of MHC
restriction. Immunology Today. Elsevier BV
Figure 2:
Kimbal Biology. (2011). Cytotoxic T
lymphocytes (CTL). Retrieved 2 May 2016, from
http://www.biology-pages.info/C/CTL.html
Experiment process
Discoveries
How it all worked
1
2
3