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Humoral Adaptive Immunity

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Humoral Adaptive Immunity

Humoral Adaptive Immunity

Hummer Moon
Picmonic
Humoral adaptive immunity is the immune system's process of producing antibodies in response to specific infections. The main cells involved in humoral immunity are B cells. They wait in lymph nodes until they see free floating antigen and bind to it. They then present the antigen to helper T cells. The T cells bind to the antigen and release cytokines, which help B cells mature and proliferate. Memory B cells live for a long time in lymph nodes and proliferate upon secondary infection from a previous antigen. Plasma B cells are the activated primary response, and secrete large volumes of antibodies to bind to antigens of foreign cells and recruit phagocytic molecules.
5 KEY FACTS
CHARACTERISTICS
B Cell Binds Free Floating Antigen
Basketball Picking Up Floating Ant-gem

The humoral immunity process begins when a B cell binds to a free floating antigen in the lymph. B cells wait in the lymph node until antigen exposure.

B Cell Presents Antigen to Helper T Cell
Basketball Presenting Ant-gem to Helper Tennis-ball

The B cell presents the antigen to type II helper T cells, so that the helper T cells can stimulate the B cells into proliferation and antibody production.

Helper T Cells Help B Cells Develop Antigen Specificity
Helper Tennis-ball Matching Receptor to Ant-gem for Basketball

Helper T cells express CD4 on the surface rather than CD8, which is expressed by killer T cells. The helper T cell binds to the presented antigen on the B cell receptor through the MHC-II complex. This causes cytokine release that stimulates the B cell to become active and produce antibodies specific to the presented antigen.

Plasma B Cells Secrete Antibodies
Plasma-TV Basketball Shooting out Ant-tie-bodies

Plasma B cells are the active B cells that produce large amount of antibodies upon primary infection. They will eventually die, unlike memory cells which can last for the lifetime of an organism.

Memory B Cells Cause Faster Secondary Response
Brain Basketball Sending Second Basketball Running

Memory B cells stay in the lymph nodes and wait to be re-exposed to the same antigen that previously infected the body. Upon exposure to that antigen, they proliferate rapidly and produce large amounts of antibodies for that antigen.

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