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Innate and Adaptive Immunity in Anatomy & Physiology

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Terms in this set (21)

  • What are surface membrane barriers and their protective functions?

    Surface membrane barriers include the skin and mucous membranes that act as the body's first line of defense by physically blocking pathogens and producing protective secretions like mucus and acids.

  • What is the role of phagocytosis in innate body defense?

    Phagocytosis is the process where certain white blood cells engulf and digest pathogens, helping to eliminate infections early.

  • How do natural killer cells contribute to innate immunity?

    Natural killer cells detect and destroy virus-infected or cancerous cells by inducing apoptosis without needing prior activation.

  • What is the importance of fever in innate body defense?

    Fever raises body temperature to inhibit pathogen growth and enhances immune system efficiency.

  • Describe the inflammatory process.

    Inflammation is a protective response involving redness, heat, swelling, and pain caused by increased blood flow and immune cell activity to isolate and repair damaged tissue.

  • Name several inflammatory chemicals and their roles.

    Histamine increases blood vessel permeability; kinins attract immune cells; prostaglandins enhance pain and swelling; all promote inflammation.

  • What are the body's antimicrobial substances and their functions?

    Substances like complement proteins destroy pathogens, interferons inhibit viral replication, and defensins disrupt microbial membranes.

  • Define antigen and its effect on adaptive defenses.

    An antigen is any substance that triggers an adaptive immune response by being recognized as foreign.

  • What is a complete antigen, hapten, and antigenic determinant?

    A complete antigen can trigger immune response alone; a hapten is incomplete and needs to bind to a protein; antigenic determinants are specific parts recognized by immune cells.

  • Compare the origin, maturation, and function of B and T lymphocytes.

    B cells mature in bone marrow and produce antibodies; T cells mature in thymus and directly attack infected cells or regulate immunity.

  • Define immunocompetence and self-tolerance in lymphocytes.

    Immunocompetence is the ability to recognize specific antigens; self-tolerance is the ability to avoid attacking the body’s own cells.

  • Name several antigen-presenting cells and their roles.

    Dendritic cells migrate to lymph nodes to initiate primary T-cell responses, macrophages present antigens to activate and recruit helper T cells at sites of local infection, and B cells present antigens to T cells to initiate adaptive immunity.

  • What is humoral immunity?

    Humoral immunity involves B cells producing antibodies that circulate in body fluids to neutralize pathogens.

  • Describe clonal selection of a B cell and roles of plasma and memory cells.

    Upon antigen binding, a B cell clones itself; plasma cells secrete antibodies, and memory cells provide long-term immunity.

  • Compare active and passive humoral immunity.

    Active immunity is produced by the body after exposure; passive immunity is gained by receiving antibodies from another source.

  • Describe the structure and functions of antibodies and name the five classes.

    Antibodies have variable regions that bind antigens also known as immunoglobulins—are Y-shaped protective proteins produced by the immune system to bind and eliminate foreign invaders, categorized into five main classes; classes are IgG, IgA, IgM, IgE, and IgD, each with specific roles in immunity.

  • Define cellular immunity and T cell activation.

    Cellular immunity involves T cells recognizing infected cells; activation requires antigen presentation and co-stimulation leading to clonal expansion.

  • Describe the roles of different types of T cells.

    Helper T cells activate other immune cells; cytotoxic T cells kill infected cells; regulatory T cells suppress immune responses.

  • What are T cell functions in the body?

    T cells coordinate immune responses, kill infected or abnormal cells, and maintain immune system balance.

  • Give examples of immunodeficiency diseases and hypersensitivity states.

    Examples include AIDS (immunodeficiency) and allergies or autoimmune diseases (hypersensitivity).

  • What factors are involved in autoimmune disease?

    Autoimmune diseases result from loss of self-tolerance, genetic predisposition, and environmental triggers causing immune attack on self tissues.