helper T cell

American  

noun

Immunology.

1. a T cell that stimulates B cells to produce antibody against a foreign substance, using lymphokines or direct contact as a signal.

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helper T-cell British  

noun

1. See T-lymphocyte

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helper T cell Scientific  

/ hĕl′pər /

1. Any of various T cells that, when stimulated by a specific antigen, release lymphokines that promote the activation and function of B cells and killer T cells.

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Example Sentences

Using an uncommonly sensitive measurement technique that he’d invented, Siliciano located H.I.V. in a type of helper T cell that provides memory to our immune system and normally survives for decades.

From The New Yorker • Dec. 15, 2014

Th1 cells are a type of helper T cell that secretes cytokines that regulate the immunological activity and development of a variety of cells, including macrophages and other types of T cells.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

In most cases, the sensitized B cell must then encounter a specific kind of T cell, called a helper T cell, before it is activated.

From Textbooks • Apr. 25, 2013

Some forms of autoimmunity have been linked to overproduction of TH17 cells, a type of helper T cell that produces an inflammatory protein called interleukin-17.

From Scientific American • Mar. 6, 2013

It is becoming clear that a cell called CD4, or helper T cell, is a key player in both healthy and autoimmune responses.

From Time Magazine Archive