Innate and Adaptive Immunity

Question 1

What is the difference between an antigen and an epitope?

Answer 1

Antigen=something immune system responds against

Epitope=Actual structure recognised by antibodies

Question 2

What is innate immunity and which cells is it comprised of?

Answer 2

Resistance not improved by repeat infection
Lysozyme, complement, acute phase proteins, cytokines
Phagocytes, antigen-presenting cells, natural killer cells

Question 3

What is adaptive immunity and which cells/soluble factors is it comprised of?

Answer 3

Resistance is improved by repeated infection
Antibodies, complement, cytokines
Lymphocytes, phagocytes, antigen-presenting cells

Question 4

What is the most important aspect of innate immunity?

Answer 4

The skin

Question 5

What do lymphocytes develop from and where?

Answer 5

Haemopoietic stem cells located primarily in the marrow of long bones

Question 6

How does the origin of B and T lymphocytes differ?

Answer 6

B cells mature directly in the bone marrow

T cells mature in the thymus

Question 7

What are the two types of receptors?

Answer 7

Soluble receptors (antibodies)
Cell surface receptors (on lymphocytes)

Question 8

What is epitope affinity and how does this relate to cross reactivity?

Answer 8

Receptors have varying “goodness of fit” with epitopes. Cross reactivity occurs when two epitopes have the same general shape despite being two different viruses and one receptor can bind to both

Question 9

What are the qualities of the adaptive immune system?

Answer 9

M emory
A daptivity
D iversity
D efence
S pecificity
S elf/non self

Question 10

How does the immune system distinguish self from non self?

Answer 10

Acquired immunological tolerance (continuous presence of antigens before the immune system has matured leads to unresponsiveness to those antigens)

Question 11

What are some undesirable consequences of immunity?

Answer 11

Rejection of skin grafts/transplanted organs
Autoimmune disorders
Allergies to innocuous antigens