B Cells and antibodies

7 important questions on B Cells and antibodies

Kenmerken/eigenschappen van B cell receptor (BCR)

  • B cells are born in the bone marrow
  • 1.000.000.000 B cells are born each day!
  • during development each B cell selects its heavy and light chain that make the BCR
  • the BCR is almost identical ti the antibodies this B cell can produce (antibodies lack the transmembrane anchor, they are released)

What is the function of the Igalfa and Igbeta molecules?

The Hc and Lc that recognise the epitope of the cognate antigen, hang on the outside of the cell. Only a few amino acids of these proteins are on the inside of the cell. This is way too short for properly signaling to the nucleus.

Therefore, the BCR has it's second part on the inside of the cell. The Igalfa and Igbeta proteins don't see what's going on, but they can signal to the nuclear what happens outside the cell.

Can you give two advantages of T cell-independent activation, relative to T cell-dependent activation?

Rapid, since the B cell doesn't need to wait for the T cell to be activated

Wider target: not only reaction against proteins, but also carbohydrates and fat
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After being activated, the B cells are ready for the next step in their life: maturation!

we can divide this in 3 steps:

  1. Class switching
  2. somatic hypermutation
  3. Career choice

What makes IgA antibodies so good in defending these mucosal surfaces?

IgA is the antibody that is most abundant in the body. It protects the gigantic amount of mucosal surfaces.

The two tails of the IgA antibody are clipped together, what facilitates the antibody across the intestinal wall and make them resistant to acids and enzymes!

The 'clip' prevents the IgA antibodies from complement binding. Why is this a good thing?

You don't want chronic inflammation in your intestine!

Can you explain what happens when the B cell undergoes somatic hypermutation?

Somatic hypermutation makes changes in the part of the antibody gene that encodes the antigen-binding (Fab) region, to alter the affinity for its cognate antigen. The B cells with an increased affinity undergo more proliferation, so that the BCRs can be "fine-tuned". The result? A collection of B cells with a higher average affinity for their cognate antigen, with which they are better adapted to deal with the invader!

The question on the page originate from the summary of the following study material:

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