Topic 2-The immune response Flashcards
What are the 4 stages of the immune response?
-Phagocytosis
-T cells
-B cells
-Antibody production
What is a phagocyte?
-A type of white blood cell that carries out phagocytosis
Where are phagocytes found?
-Found in the blood and tissues
True/ false: Phagocytes are the first cells to respond to an immune system trigger inside the body
True
What is the first step of phagocytosis?
-A phagocyte recognises the foreign antigens on pathogen
What is the 2nd step of phagocytosis?
-The cytoplasm of the phagocyte moves around the pathogen, engulfing it
What is the 3rd step of phagocytosis?
-The pathogen is now contained in a phagocytic vacuole in the cytoplasm of the phagocyte
What is the 4th step of phagocytosis?
-A lysosome fuses with the phagocytic vacuole
-The lysosomes break down the pathogen
What is the 5th step of phagocytosis?
-The phagocyte then presents the pathogen’s antigens
-It sticks the antigens on its surface to activate other immune system cells
-The phagocyte is acting as an antigen-presenting cell
What does the T cell stand for?
-T-lymphocyte
What is a T cell?
-A type of white blood cell
What activates the T cell?
-It has receptor proteins which bind to complementary antigens presented by phagocytes
How do helper T cells respond?
-Release chemical signals which activate and stimulate phagocytes
-Activate B cells
How do cytotoxic T cells respond?
-Kill abnormal and foreign cells
What are B cells?
-B lymphocytes
-A type of white blood cell
What do B cells form and how?
-Antigen-antibody complex
-They are covered in antibodies
Define antibodies
-Proteins that bind to antigens to form an antigen-antibody complex
What is different about each B cell?
-They have a differently shaped antibody on their membrane
Explain the process of clonal selection
-Antibody on the surface of B cell meets complementary antigens they bind together
-With substances released from helper T cells it activates the B cell
What do activated B cells divide into?
-Plasma cells
Why do antibodies bind to antigens?
They have a complementary shape
What do B cells and T helper cells have in common?
-Both have receptor proteins
-On B cells they bind to the signalling molecules released by the T helper cells
What is the function of plasma cells?
-They secrete loads of antibodies specific to the antigens
(monoclonal antibodies)
How many binding sites does an antibody have?
-2
-So they can bind two pathogens at a time