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LGS A-Level OCR Biology - Unit 4 - Specific Immune Response
This deck covers key concepts of the specific immune response, focusing on antibodies, T-cells, and B-cells. It includes definitions, functions, and relationships within the immune system.
What are antibodies?
Y-shaped glycoproteins made by B cells of the immune system in response to the presence of an antigen
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Key Terms
Term
Definition
What are antibodies?
Y-shaped glycoproteins made by B cells of the immune system in response to the presence of an antigen
What is a specific immune response?
The immune system ‘remembers’ an antigen after an initial response leading to an enhanced response to subsequent encounters
What shape are antibodies?
Y-shaped
Where do T-cells mature?
Thymus gland
Where do B-cells mature?
Bone marrow
What is the function of B plasma cells?
To produce antibodies
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| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
What are antibodies? | Y-shaped glycoproteins made by B cells of the immune system in response to the presence of an antigen |
What is a specific immune response? | The immune system ‘remembers’ an antigen after an initial response leading to an enhanced response to subsequent encounters |
What shape are antibodies? | Y-shaped |
Where do T-cells mature? | Thymus gland |
Where do B-cells mature? | Bone marrow |
What is the function of B plasma cells? | To produce antibodies |
How does the sequence of amino acids affect an antibody? | The sequence of amino acids determines the shape of the variable region (sequence of amino acids) and so which antigen is detected |
How many polypeptide chains does an antibody contain? | 4 |
What type of molecule is an antibody? | Protein |
What is the relationship between the two light chains of antibodies? | They are identical |
What is the relationship between the two heavy chains of antibodies? | They are identical |
What sort of protein are antibodies? | Globular |
How many binding sites are there on an antibody? Where are they? | 3; Two antigen binding sites; One receptor site that allows the body to recognise the antibody as self |
How are all antibodies in the body similar? | They share the same common region |
What type of bonding occurs between the heavy and light strands in antibodies? | Disulfide |
How are the heavy strands attached in antibodies? | Disulfide bonds |
How many light strands are in an antibody? | 2 |
How many heavy strands are in an antibody? | 2 |
What is the relationship between the variable region and the antigen? | They have complementary shapes |
What allows for sulfide bonding? | The amino acid cysteine |
Why do antibodies have a hinge? | Allows antibodies to flex slightly and accommodate differently sized antigens |
What is the difference between the light and heavy chains of an antibody? | The light chains are much shorter than the heavy chains |
How many amino acids form a binding site? | 110 |
What is formed when an antibody binds to an antigen? | An antigen-antibody complex |
How do antibodies defend the body? (4 reasons) | Act as opsonins so the antigen is 'tagged' and easily engulfed; Act as antitoxins, binding to toxins produced by pathogens to render them harmless; Cause agglutination (clumping together) of pathogens which have antigen-antibody complexes, preventing them from spreading through the body and makes it easier for phagocytes to engulf several pathogens at once; Prevents pathogens from effectively invading a host |
Name the 4 types of T cells | Killer T cells; Helper T cells; Memory T cells; Regulator T cells |
Name the 3 types of B cells | B Plasma cells; B effector cells; B memory cells |