Functions[edit]
Acquired immunity is triggered in vertebrates when a pathogen evades the innate immune system and (1) generates a threshold level of antigen and (2) generates "stranger" or "danger" signals activating dendritic cells.[2]
The major functions of the acquired immune system include:
Recognition of specific "non-self" antigens in the presence of "self", during the process of antigen presentation.
Generation of responses that are tailored to maximally eliminate specific pathogens or pathogen-infected cells.
Development of immunological memory, in which pathogens are "remembered" through memory B cells and memory T cells.