Overview of Adaptive Immune Response

A collection of key terms and definitions related to the adaptive immune response, lymphocyte development, and immunity functions.

Lymphocyte Development

The process by which B cells mature in the bone marrow and T cells mature in the thymus.

Dendritic Cell

A cell that gathers antigens for presentation to naive T cells.

Cytotoxic T Cell (Tc)

A type of T cell that induces apoptosis in infected 'self' cells and produces cytokines to alert neighboring cells.

Helper T Cell (TH)

A T cell that helps activate B cells and directs the adaptive immune response.

Humoral Immunity

A branch of the adaptive immune system that eliminates extracellular antigens through B cells producing antibodies.

Cell-Mediated Immunity (CMI)

A branch of adaptive immunity that deals with antigens residing within host cells, primarily involving T cells.

B Cell Receptor (BCR)

A membrane-bound antibody on B cells that recognizes specific antigens.

T Cell Receptor (TCR)

A receptor on T cells that recognizes peptides presented on MHC molecules.

Affinity Maturation

The process by which B cells increase the affinity of their antibodies for an antigen during a response.

Class Switching

A change in antibody class produced by B cells without altering the specificity for the antigen.

Immunogenicity

The ability of a substance to provoke an immune response.

Epitopes

Distinct regions of an antigen that are recognized by antibodies or TCRs.

Antibody-Dependent Cellular Cytotoxicity (ADCC)

A mechanism by which natural killer cells induce apoptosis in antibody-bound cells.

Memory Cells

Long-lived immune cells that respond faster and more effectively upon re-exposure to the same antigen.

CD Markers

Cluster of differentiation markers are surface proteins on T cells that differentiate between types of T cells (e.g., CD4 and CD8).