Generation of Antigen Receptors Flashcards
Draw an antibody molecule and label it.
it should look like this
How is antibody diversity generated?
it is a random arrangement of DNA - random event
What region of the antibody molecule codes for the VDJ region of DNA?
the variable heavy region
What codes for the gene C-mu?
the constant portion of IgM
What codes for the gene C -delta?
constant portion IgD
What codes for the gene C-gamma?
the constant portion of IgG
What codes for the gene C-epsilon?
constant portion of IgE
What codes for the gene C-alpha?
constant portion of IgA
What is always the order of the genes downstream of the VDJ regions in the germline DNA?
C mu, C delta, C gamma, C epsilon, c alpha
What are the stages of b-cell development?
formation of the antigen binding site, negative selection, class switching and affinity maturation
Where does formation of the antigen binding site occur?
in primary lymphoid tissue
What is happening during the formation of the antigen binding site?
DNA is being cut and spiced together to form VDJ
Where does negative selection occur?
in primary lymphoid tissue
What occurs during negative selection?
BCR binds to self antigen, and clone is instructed to die
Where does class switching occur?
in secondary lymphoid tissue
What occurs during class switching?
the constant heavy chain is altered
Where does affinity maturation occur?
in secondary lymphoid tissue
What happens during affinity maturation?
the hypervariable and variable regions make mistakes/somatic mutations to increase their affinity
Describe with drawings how the DNA changes as a B cell develops and matures.
this would be changed from an IgM to an IgE
What does isotype switching while maintaining antigen specificity means?
antigen specificity does not change but the effector function does
What is the difference between the immunoglobulin made by a b cell and one made from its clone?
the immunoglobulin made by the b cell has a transmembrane portion and the one from the clone does not
What is antibody affinity maturation?
the antibody produced first thas lower affinity than the antibody produced later due to mutations that affect their affinity
