Innate Immunity - Topic 2

Question 1

What is the first line of defense?

Answer 1

physical and chemical barriers that are always ready and prepared to defend the body from infection

Question 2

What is the second line of defense?

Answer 2

Includes nonspecific white blood cells and chemicals which cause inflammation and fever

Question 3

What is the third line of defense?

Answer 3

Immune cells that target specific antigens. The immune cells that play a role in the third line of defense are B-cells and T-cells, both are white blood cells. The B-cells produce antibodies

Question 4

What are self-antigens?

Answer 4

A self-antigen is an antigen that the immune system derives from the body it is protecting

Question 5

What are non-self-antigens?

Answer 5

Non-self-antigens include the antigen structures found on the surfaces of foreign bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites, or other non-native biocompounds

Question 6

Explain how MHC is used to distinguish self-antigens from non-self-antigens?

Answer 6

MHC presents self-antigens to maintain tolerance and non-self-antigens to activate T cells, distinguishing self from foreign invaders