Immune System Receptors and Signaling

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts related to immune receptors, cytokines, and cell signaling, providing essential definitions and explanations for studying.

Receptor

A protein that binds to a specific ligand and initiates a biological response.

Ligand

A molecule that binds to a receptor, triggering a cellular response.

Kd

Dissociation constant; a measure of the affinity of a receptor for its ligand.

Avidity

The overall strength of binding interactions when multiple ligands bind to a receptor.

Cytokine

A signaling protein that mediates communication between cells of the immune system.

Pattern Recognition Receptors

Receptors on innate immune cells that recognize specific patterns on pathogens.

Cytokine-Receptor Binding

The interaction between a cytokine and its receptor that generates a cellular signal.

Autocrine Action

A type of cellular signaling where a cell secretes a signal that binds to its own receptors.

Paracrine Action

Cell signaling where a secreted substance affects neighboring cells.

Endocrine Action

Signaling where cytokines are released into the bloodstream to affect distant cells.

Immunoglobulin Domain

A structural motif found in many antibodies, consisting of a variable and constant region.

Complementarity-Determining Regions (CDRs)

Regions in antibodies that determine the specificity for antigen binding.

Toll-like Receptors (TLRs)

A class of receptors in innate immunity that recognize conserved microbial components.

Fluorescence Activated Cell Sorting (FACS)

A technique used to analyze the physical and chemical characteristics of cells.

Signal Transduction

The process by which a cell responds to external signals through a cascade of molecular events.

Tyrosine Kinase

An enzyme that phosphorylates tyrosine residues on proteins, playing a key role in signaling pathways.

Lipid Rafts

Microdomains in cell membranes that organize proteins for signaling processes.

Antigen-Presenting Cell (APC)

Cells that present antigens to T-cells, critical for the adaptive immune response.

MHC (Major Histocompatibility Complex)

A set of molecules displayed on cell surfaces that present antigens to T-cells.

Naïve T Cells

T cells that have not yet encountered their specific antigen.

B-Cell Receptor (BCR)

A membrane-bound immunoglobulin on B cells that binds specific antigens.

T-Cell Receptor (TCR)

A receptor on T cells that recognizes specific antigens presented by MHC molecules.