IMM2011 Lecture Notes - Lecture 18: Microbial Toxin, Somatic Hypermutation, Affinity Maturation
14 Jul 2018
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Document Summary
Role of t cells and cytokines in class switching. Affinity maturation: process by which the affinity of antibodies produced in response to protein antigen increases with prolonged or repeated exposure to antigen. This means that the ability of antibodies to bind to microbe increases if the infection is persistent or recurring. Increased affinity is through process of somatic hypermutation in which point mutations in the antigen binding region of the genes encoding the antibody. Affinity maturation occurs in the germinal centre of lymphoid follicle and is the result of somatic hypermutation of ig genes in dividing b cell and this is followed by selection of high affinity b cell by antigen. Somatic hypermutation: which is intiated by the enzyme aid in which the ig genes of rapidly dividing b cells undergo numerous point mutation. Affinity maturation is mediated by somatic hypermutation (smh_ Effector function : antibodies: neutralization of microbe and microbial toxins:
