Humoural Response Flashcards
What cells does the humoural response involve
B Lymphocytes/White blood cells
Describe and explain how lymphocytes travel
Travel via bodily fluids - due to antibodies being soluble
Where are B cells made and where do they mature
Made and matured in the bone marrow
How many different B cells are there
10 million
complementary to 10 million antigens
How does a complementary antigen find a B cell
Colliding with B cell in blood
What happens when a B cell interacts with an antigen
Takes in antigen via endocytosis
Presents antigen on outside of cell
What stimulates B cells
T helper cells
What happens when B cell is activated
Undergoes clonal expansion
And differentiation
Describe and explain the cells formed by B cell differentiation
Plasma cells - immediate release of antibodies
Memory cells - can divide rapidly upon re-infection, mitosis into plasma cells
Describe and explain the roles of a memory cell
Lasts long in the body
Divides rapidly upon re-infection via mitosis into plasma cells
Describe the structure of antibodies
Quaternary protein structure
2 heavy chains
2 light chains
Describe the process of agglutination
Antigen binds to complementary variable region on antibody
Antibody flexible
Able to bend and move to bind to other antibodies
Lots of antibodies and antigens binded together
Causing clumping
Easier for phagocytes to locate and destroy pathogens
Why are antibodies able to move to bind to other antibodies ?
Flexible
