Biol3100 Revision

Innate immune system

The immune response that you are born with, effective against infections every time.

Acquired immune system

The immune response that learns and improves with exposure to infections.

Phagocytosis

The process by which cells engulf and digest invading pathogens.

Complement system

An enzymatic cascade involving over 30 proteins that helps eliminate pathogens.

C3 convertase

An enzyme responsible for cleaving the complement protein C3 into C3a and C3b.

Optimisation

The marking of invading pathogens for recognition and destruction by phagocytes.

Alternative pathway

One of the pathways of the complement system activated by the presence of pathogens.

Mannose-binding lectin pathway

A complement activation pathway triggered by the binding of proteins to specific sugars on pathogens.

Classical pathway

A complement activation pathway initiated by antibody binding to pathogens.

Membrane attack complex

A structure formed by complement proteins that creates holes in pathogen membranes, leading to cell death.

Inflammation

A response that recruits immune cells to an injury site, leading to redness and swelling.

Neutrophils

The most common phagocytic cells in the bloodstream that respond to infection.

T cells

A type of white blood cell involved in the acquired immune response.

B cells

White blood cells that produce antibodies in response to infections.

Antigen-presenting cells

Cells that present fragments of pathogens to T cells to initiate an immune response.

MHC Class II

Molecules that present antigens to T helper cells, crucial for immune responses.

MHC Class I

Molecules that present antigens to cytotoxic T cells, involved in identifying infected cells.

Virulence factors

Properties of pathogens that enable them to cause disease.

Endotoxins

Toxic components of the cell wall of gram-negative bacteria, often released upon cell death.

Exotoxins

Toxins secreted by living bacteria into their surrounding environment.

Epidemiology

The study of how diseases spread and can be controlled in populations.

Antibiotic resistance mechanisms

Various strategies bacteria use to resist the effects of antibiotics.

Metagenomics

The study of genetic material recovered directly from environmental samples.

Biodegradation

The process by which microbes break down natural and synthetic materials.

Bioremediation

The use of microbes to clean up contaminated environments.

Microbial consortia

Groups of different microbial species working together to achieve a common metabolic goal.

Synthetic biology

An interdisciplinary field that combines biology and engineering to create new biological parts.