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Introduction to T Lymphocytes definitions

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  • T Lymphocyte
    A white blood cell developed in the thymus, essential for cell-mediated adaptive immunity against intracellular pathogens.
  • Cell-Mediated Immunity
    A branch of adaptive immunity targeting and destroying pathogens residing inside host cells, primarily via T cells.
  • Adaptive Immunity
    A specific immune defense system involving lymphocytes that adapts to recognize and remember particular pathogens.
  • Thymus
    A primary lymphoid organ where T cells mature before migrating to secondary lymphoid tissues.
  • Secondary Lymphoid Organ
    Sites such as lymph nodes and spleen where mature T cells encounter antigens and become activated.
  • Cytotoxic T Cell
    A CD8+ lymphocyte that induces apoptosis in infected host cells, eliminating intracellular pathogens.
  • Helper T Cell
    A CD4+ lymphocyte that produces cytokines to stimulate and coordinate other immune cells.
  • Antigen-Presenting Cell
    A cell, like a dendritic cell, that displays antigens on its surface to activate T cells.
  • T Cell Receptor
    A membrane protein complex on T cells, composed of alpha and beta chains, recognizing antigens presented by other cells.
  • Variable Region
    A segment of the T cell receptor polypeptide chain responsible for binding specific antigens, differing among TCRs.
  • Constant Region
    A segment of the T cell receptor polypeptide chain with a stable amino acid sequence, located near the cell surface.
  • Naive T Cell
    An inactive T cell that has not yet encountered its specific antigen presented by an antigen-presenting cell.
  • Effector T Cell
    A short-lived T cell differentiated from a naive cell, responsible for immediate immune responses.
  • Memory T Cell
    A long-lived T cell that enables rapid and robust responses upon re-exposure to a previously encountered antigen.
  • CD Marker
    A surface protein, such as CD4 or CD8, used to distinguish between different T cell subtypes.