The innate immune system stimulates the adaptive immune system through which of the following mechanisms?

• A. Antigen presentation by dendritic cells
• B. Clonal selection of B cells
• C. Production of antibodies
• D. Somatic recombination in T cells

Answer: (A)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the roles of the innate and adaptive immune systems: The innate immune system provides the first line of defense and activates the adaptive immune system, which provides a specific response to pathogens.
2. Identify the mechanism by which the innate immune system communicates with the adaptive immune system: This typically involves cells that can process and present antigens to adaptive immune cells.
3. Recognize that dendritic cells are key antigen-presenting cells (APCs) that capture antigens from pathogens and present them on their surface to T cells, thus activating the adaptive immune response.
4. Differentiate this from other options: Clonal selection of B cells and somatic recombination in T cells are processes within the adaptive immune system itself, and production of antibodies is a function of activated B cells, not a mechanism of stimulation by the innate system.
5. Conclude that the correct mechanism by which the innate immune system stimulates the adaptive immune system is antigen presentation by dendritic cells.