Introduction Flashcards
what are the ways in which immunity is acquired?
- natural infection
- vaccination
How does innate immunity distinguish among foreign antigens?
IT DOES NOT!
What are two terms describing the acquired immune response?
specific
adaptive
Between Innate and Acquired Immunity, which elicits a faster response? Why?
innate is faster;
there is no memory while the acquired response is improved by repeated infection (memory)
Differentiate between the diversity for innate v. acquired immunity
innate: limited (germline encoded)
acquired: very large; receptors are produced by recombination
What are the key molecules in innate vs. acquired immunity?
innate: lysozyme, complement, acute phase proteins, IL-1, IFN@ and B; Toll like receptors
acquired: antibodies and cytokines
what are parts of antigens called?
epitopes
what is the means through which the specific immune system responds to antigens?
specific receptors on B and T lymphocytes
what does the clonal selection theory suggest? (3)
- immune system can respond to up to 10 billion antigens
- each lymphocyte arises from a single precursor cell which responds to only one antigen
- pathogen can activate several cells recognizing it
what is the fxn of clonal deletion?
removal of potentially self-reactive immature lymphocytes
how long does it take for a primary response to occur?
5-10 days
how long does it take for a secondary response to occur?
2-5 days (much quicker than the primary)
slide 16
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what is clonal expansion?
- process whereby there is an increase in the number of cells that express identical receptors for the antigen
- those cells are derived from the clones that recognized antigen
what characterizes homeostasis in the immune response?
- all responses wane with time returning to the basal state
- when antigen is eliminated, cells that recognize it, die by apoptosis
