B cells circulate throughout our blood, lymph, and secondary lymphoid organs. Sometimes, in the lymph nodes and spleen, soluble components from a pathogen appear. B cells, expressing a molecule called a B cell receptor at its surface, can bind those components (called antigens) directly. Cross-linking occurs, wherein many nearby B cell receptors recognize components of … Continue reading IMMUNOLOGY 101 – B-cell Activation
IMMUNOLOGY 101 – T-cell Activation
The innate response is typically enough to resolve the vast majority of infections. For the minority of cases for which it doesn’t quite suffice, the adaptive response enters the picture. This is where we have B cells generating antibodies, and T cells making cytokines and killing infected cells. Also at the site of infection are … Continue reading IMMUNOLOGY 101 – T-cell Activation