innATE
ADAPTIVE
PATTERNS OF RECOGNITION
FIGHTING MOLECULES
WARFARE
100

This rapid, non-specific first line of defense includes physical barriers and soluble factors that recognize general features of microbes

INNATE IMMUNE SYSTEM

100

This slower but highly specific branch of immunity involves lymphocytes and generates long-lasting immunological memory

ADAPTIVE IMMUNE SYSTEM

100

These are conserved molecular structures found on microbes, such as double-stranded RNA or flagellin, that are detected by the host

PAMPS

100

These Y-shaped proteins consist of two heavy and two light chains and have variable regions that bind specifically to antigens

ANTIBODIES

100

These Type I proteins (alpha and beta) help cells take "drastic measures" to block viral transcription and degrade single-stranded RNA

INTERFERONS

200

These small antimicrobial peptides, produced by epithelial and immune cells, kill pathogens by disrupting their membranes

DEFENSINS

200

The process by which mature but inactive lymphocytes that have not yet encountered an antigen are selected for activation

CLONAL SELECTON

200

These cytoplasmic sensors are specifically designed to detect viral RNA within the host cell's cytoplasm

RLRS

200

This class of MHC molecules presents intracellular or "endogenous" antigens to cytotoxic T cells and is found on nearly all nucleated cells

MHC 1

200

These innate immune cells identify and kill infected host cells by detecting a reduced expression of MHC Class I molecules

NK CELLS 

300

These circulating white blood cells are highly effective at phagocytosis but typically act quickly and die, often contributing to the formation of pus

NEUTROPHILS

300

This type of immune response is faster and more robust upon re-exposure to a pathogen because of the presence of memory cells

SECONARY IMMUNE RESPONSE

300

This group of membrane-bound receptors recognizes extracellular or endosomal PAMPs, such as the CpG motifs found in bacterial DNA

TLRS

300

GAMED

IMMUNOGLOBULINS

300

These "professional" antigen-presenting cells bridge the two immune systems by capturing pathogens and migrating to lymph nodes to activate T cells

DENDRITIC CELLS

400

This system of three activation pathways (classical, lectin, and alternative) converges to form a membrane attack complex that lyses pathogens

COMPLEMENT SYSTEM

400

These "effector" B cells are rich in endoplasmic reticulum and are responsible for actively secreting antibodies

PLASMA CELLS

400

This multiprotein complex activates caspase-1, which processes pro-inflammatory cytokines like interleukin-1β into their active forms

INFLAMMASOME
400

This coreceptor, found on helper T cells, stabilizes the interaction with MHC Class II molecules and also serves as the receptor for HIV

CD4
400

The process where a cell is induced to kill itself, often triggered by NK cells or Cytotoxic T cells

APOPTOSIS

500

These long-lived tissue-resident cells act as sentinels, engulf microbes, and release cytokines to initiate inflammation

MACROPHAGES

500

This mechanism of self-tolerance ensures that self-reactive B and T cells die by apoptosis when they encounter a self-molecule

CLONAL DELETION

500

Mutations in the NOD2 receptor, which detects degradation products of bacterial peptidoglycans, are associated with this inflammatory bowel condition

CROHN'S DISEASE 

500

This specific immunoglobulin class is associated with allergic reactions and the recruitment of eosinophils to kill parasitic worms

IG-E

500

These T cells specifically target and kill cells that present foreign viral peptides on their MHC Class I surface molecules

CYTOTOXIC T CELLS 

M
e
n
u