B Cells and Antibodies Lecture Notes

Flashcards on B Cells and Antibodies

B Cells

Mediators of humoral immunity, responsible for producing antibodies.

Plasma Cells

The type of B cell they differentiate into when they become antibody-producing factories.

X-linked agammaglobulinemia

A genetic condition where a mutation affects B cells early in development, resulting in no B cells.

B Lymphocytes

Develop in the bone marrow.

Bursa of Fabricius

An organ that birds have where B cells develop, where the term 'B cell' originates.

B Cell Receptor

Surface-bound receptor on B cells that is essentially the start of antibodies.

Clonal Expansion

The expansion in number when cells make copies of themselves.

Variable Region

The region of the B cell receptor that binds to the antigen.

FAB Fragment

Fragment antigen binding, obtained after digesting antibodies with papain.

FC Fragment

Fragment crystallizable, obtained after digesting antibodies with papain.

IgM

The first antibody that is always produced, assembles in a pentamer giving it 10 binding sites.

Opsonization

Coating a microbe to enhance phagocytosis.