general terms and concepts

Question 1

Immunology

Answer 1

Study of Immune System

Question 2

Immune System

Answer 2

Network of cells, tissues, organs, proteins, biological structures and processes that work together to protect against disease

Question 3

Immunity

Answer 3

protection/resistance to pathogen/antigen previously encountered; Protection from an infectious disease. If you are immune to a disease, you can be exposed to it without becoming infected.

Question 4

Vaccine

Answer 4

A product that stimulates a person’s immune system to produce immunity to a specific disease, protecting the person from that disease. Vaccines are usually administered through needle injections, but can also be administered by mouth or sprayed into the nose.

Question 5

Vaccination

Answer 5

The act of introducing a vaccine into the body to produce immunity to a specific disease

Question 6

Immunization

Answer 6

A process by which a person becomes protected against a disease through vaccination. This term is often used interchangeably with vaccination or inoculation.

Question 7

Antigen

Answer 7

molecule or part of a molecule that can bind specifically to an antibody; A whole pathogen may be referred to as an antigen in practice, however in reality, only a part is really recognized by the receptors; An antigen is any substance that causes your immune system to produce antibodies against it. This means your immune system does not recognize the substance, and is trying to fight it off; An antigen may be a substance from the environment, such as chemicals, bacteria, viruses, or pollen. An antigen may also form inside the body.

Question 8

Immunogen

Answer 8

a molecule that can elicit an antibody response/production after injection into an animal or human

Question 9

Immunogenicity

Answer 9

ability to induce a humoral and/or cell mediated immune response

Question 10

Antigenicity

Answer 10

ability to combine specifically with the final products of an immunogenic response, i.e. antibodies.

Question 11

Immunogenicity v Antigenicity

Answer 11

Immunogenicity is how well the response is produced but antigenicity is molecularly how well the bind together

Question 12

Hapten

Answer 12

Small antigens, molecules the size of a tyrosine side chain that are antigenic (Binds Ab) but not immunogenic unless linked to a protein because an antigen that is too small to elicit antibody response and is not immunogenic by itself

Question 13

Epitope

Answer 13

part of an antigen that is recognized by the immune system, specifically by antibodies, B cells, or T cells; Antigenic Determinant; Domain on antigen which actually binds to antibody

Question 14

Synonyms for Antibody

Answer 14

B Cell Receptor (BCR)

Immunoglobulin (Ig)

Question 15

Antibody/Immunoglobulin (Ab/Ig)

Answer 15

protein that binds to an antigen in an antigen-specific manner

Question 16

Avidity

Answer 16

Increase in Ag binding strength (of Antibody) by binding two identical Ag

Question 17

MHC

Answer 17

A set of cell surface proteins essential for the acquired immune system to recognize foreign molecules in vertebrates, which in turn determines histocompatibility.

Question 18

Where are MHC class I found

Answer 18

all nucleated cells

Question 19

Where are MHC class II found

Answer 19

antigen presenting cells

Question 20

MHC restricted antigen recognition/ MHC restriction

Answer 20

given T cell can interact with both the self-major histocompatibility complex molecule and the foreign peptide that is bound to it, but will recognize and respond to the antigen, only when it is bound to a particular MHC molecule

Question 21

pathogen

Answer 21

a specific causative agent of disease, such as a bacterium or a virus.

Question 22

vector

Answer 22

an organism, often an arthropod, that carries a pathogen to its host.

Question 23

Autoimmune v autoreactive

Answer 23

Autoimmune disorders: conditions in which the body’s own immune system acts against it.
Autoreactive: describes immune cells that mount a response against the body’s own cells or tissues.

Question 24

Maturation v activation

Answer 24

Maturation is the process from development until exit from bone marrow or thymus
Activation occurs after antigen encounter