Antigens and pathogens
What are the unique molecules the immune system uses to decide whether something is "self" or "non-self"?
Which line of defence do intact skin and mucous membranes belong to?
First line of defence
In which organ do T cells mature?
Thymus
What do B cells differentiate into to produce antibodies?
Plasma cells
Which drugs treat bacterial infections but don't work on viruses?
Antibiotics
Which non-cellular pathogen is made of DNA or RNA inside a protein capsid, and can only replicate inside a host cell?
Virus
Which white blood cells are the first to arrive at an infection site?
Neutrophils
Which cells don't kill pathogens directly, but release cytokines to activate B cells and cytotoxic T cells?
Helper T cells
How many polypeptide chains make up an antibody?
Four (two heavy, two light)
What is the indirect protection of unvaccinated people, when a high proportion of the population is immune, called?
Herd immunity
What are the infectious, misfolded proteins that trigger normal brain proteins to misfold?
Prions
During phagocytosis, what is the vesicle holding the engulfed pathogen called?
Phagosome
What is the process of selecting the one B cell whose receptor matches the antigen called?
Clonal selection
Which region of an antibody gives it its specificity?
Variable region (antigen-binding site)
What is the first known infected individual in an outbreak called?
Index case (patient zero)
What are the bacterial toxins that are part of the outer membrane and are released only when the bacterium dies?
Endotoxins
What cytokines do virus-infected cells release to warn neighbouring cells?
Interferons
What protein do cytotoxic T cells release to create pores in infected cells?
Perforin
Which antibody function clumps pathogens together so they are easier for the immune system to find?
Agglutination
Two students are exposed to the same chickenpox source and live in the same environment, but only the unvaccinated one gets sick. What three factors determine whether an infection occurs?
The pathogen (agent), the environment, and the host.
Which class of MHC marker is found on all nucleated body cells?
MHC class I
What structure do complement proteins form that punches a pore in a pathogen's membrane, making it swell and burst?
Membrane attack complex (MAC)
What are the two key features of adaptive immunity that innate immunity lacks?
Specificity and immunological memory
What acronym helps you remember the five functions of antibodies?
PIANO (Precipitation, Inflammation, Agglutination, Neutralisation, Opsonisation)
When making monoclonal antibodies, what are B cells fused with mouse tumour cells called?
Hybridomas