humoral response

• Antibodies are only specific against specific pathogens because antibodies have a specific tertiary structure which is only complementry to a certain antigen and therefore can only destroy specific pathogens
• lymphocytes are smaller than phagocytes with a large nucleus, they can become B or T lymphocytes
• B lymphocytes have a surface covered in antibodies which can bind to antigens
• B lymphocytes differentiate into plasma cells when stimulated by the T helper cells
• Antibodies are Y shaped proteins with two binding sites on their tips
• When a B cell becomes a plasma cell it has more rough endoplasmic reticulum, ribosomes, mitochondria and Golgi body
• The structure of an antibody is a y shaped globular protein
• Each arm of the Y shape of an antibody contains variable regions that determine its specificity
• what are the 2 types of specific immune response:

  • humoral
  • cell-mediated