Biology - Immune System

Phagocyte

• Type of White Blood cell which carries out phagocytosis.

• Found in blood and tissues

• First cell to respond to an immune system trigger in the body

Phagocytosis

the engulfment of pathogens

B-cell or B-Lymphocyte

• Type of White blood cell

• Covered with antibody-protiens that bind to antigens to form an antigen-antibody complex

T-cell or T-lymphocyte

• Type of white blood cell

• Has receptor proteins on its surface which bind to complementary antigens presented to it by phagocytes

Plasma cells

• Clones of B-cells

• the secrete loads of antibodies specific to the antigen

• the bind to antigens on the surface of the pathogen to form lots of antigen-antibody complexes

Antibodies

• protein made of chains of amino acids

• the specificity of an antibody depends on its variable regions which form the antigen binding sites, each with a variable region with a unique tertiary shape that is complementary to one specific antigen

• all antibodies have the same constant region