Introduction (Page 1 of 16) HUMORAL IMMUNITY Host defense mechanisms involving antibodies and B cells are called humoral immunity. When a naive B cell encounters its antigen, it becomes activated. The B cell proliferates and differentiates into memory cells, and effector cells called plasma cells. Plasma cells secrete large numbers of antibody molecules, each with the same unique antigen binding specificity as the parental B cell. The secreted andtibodies act to inactivate pathogens and toxins. OO aon ROR OMI ncn setGoals (Page 2 of 16) GOALS * Describe the structure and function of an a * Compare the functions of different antibody classes © Describe how antibodies cause destruction or inactivation of pathogens or their toxins '* Describe events in B cell activation, including the role of he cells and. events in the germ * Compare active and passive hi WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW The mechanisms of inna imal host defenst the role of comple: The structare of o + © The common features of B and T iyinphocytes [EIR] © The maturation process of positive Ga and negative selection of lymphocytes! ~ To see definitions of terms, click the bold red words. Click Next to go ta the next pagePhagocytes: Recognizing the Enemy (Page 8 of 25) Pathogens that enter the body are often rapidly ingested by phagocytes. This process begins when a phagocyte recognizes and binds a pathogen Mannose receptor Phagocytes use special cell membrane receptors, such as the mannose receptor and the Toll-like receptors (TLRs), to recognize and bind T 1 molecules that are found on pathogens and not on normal body cells aS i Click a TLR to learn more about them. Toll-ike receptor (TLR) Macrophage