MOLECULAR BIOLOGY OF THE CELL, SIXTH EDITION

CHAPTER 24: THE INNATE AND ADAPTIVE IMMUNE

SYSTEMS
© Garland Science 2015
Zahraa “2016 Batch Monitor”
小美丽

1 Indicate whether each of the following descriptions better applies to an adaptive (A) or
innate (I) immune response. Your answer would be a four-letter string composed of letters A and
I only, e.g. AAAA.
( ) It is found in invertebrate and vertebrate animals as well as in plants.
( ) It has a long-lasting memory.
( ) It is highly specific to the particular invading pathogen.
( ) It employs natural killer (NK) cells to induce apoptosis in infected host cells.

2 Which of the following cell types is NOT phagocytic?

A. Macrophage
B. Monocyte
C. Neutrophil
D. Lymphocyte
E. Dendritic cell

3 Blood-group compatibility is an important consideration in red blood cell transfusions

that are administered in millions of liters worldwide every year. In the ABO blood-group system,
individuals with AB blood type are the universal recipient (can accept blood from any donor),
while those with O type are universal donors. If an incompatible transfusion is made between an
A-type (donor) and a B-type (recipient) individual, for example, the anti-A antibodies present in
the recipient’s plasma would rapidly destroy the transfused blood cells with the help of the
complement system, with potentially serious consequences. But why do we produce antibodies
against other blood-group antigens even without having been exposed to those foreign blood
cells before? It has been suggested that these antibodies are generated in response to minor
infections (in early life) with microbes of the normal flora of our bodies, and that, in addition to
binding to the microbial antigens, these antibodies can cross-react with the similar A- and B-type
carbohydrate antigens of the ABO blood-group system. If this is indeed the case, blood plasma
from a “germ-free” individual would react with …
 A. blood of any ABO type.
B. blood of no other ABO type.
C. blood from O-type individuals only.
D. blood from non-O-type individuals only.
E. blood from AB-type individuals only.

4 Which of the following are recognized by pattern recognition receptors as pathogen-

associated molecular patterns?
A. Double-stranded viral RNAs
B. Formylmethionine-containing proteins
C. Unmethylated CpG motifs
D. Bacterial flagella components
E. All of the above

5 Which of the following groups of proteins are pattern recognition receptors?

A. NOD-like receptors
B. Toll-like receptors
C. RIG-like receptors
D. C-type lectin receptors
E. All of the above

6 Gout patients have high uric acid levels in their blood and suffer from arthritis in their
joints as a result of formation of intracellular and extracellular uric acid crystals. Would you
expect treatment with glucocorticoids (G), which inhibit prostaglandin synthesis, or with tumor
necrosis factor (TNF) to be normally used to treat such patients?

7 Indicate whether each of the following descriptions is shared (S) or not shared (N)
between macrophages and neutrophils in destroying invading pathogens in vertebrates. Your
answer would be a four-letter string composed of letters S and N only, e.g. SSSS.
( ) They use a respiratory burst and create toxic reactive oxygen species to kill engulfed
pathogens.
( ) They are normally found in most tissues even before pathogen invasion.
( ) They are long-lived and normally survive long after activation.
( ) They secrete pro-inflammatory cytokines upon encountering invading pathogens.
8 Indicate true (T) and false (F) statements below regarding the complement system. Your
answer would be a four-letter string composed of letters T and F only, e.g. TTFT.
( ) The early complement components form the membrane attack complex, whereas the
late complement components cleave and activate C3.
( ) The classical pathway of complement activation is triggered by binding of a secreted
PRR to mannose-containing glycoproteins or glycolipids on the surface of pathogens.
( ) Some pathogens such as Neisseria gonorrhoeae hide from the complement reaction
via sialic acid camouflage.
( ) Once a membrane attack complex is formed, it can attack multiple pathogens before
becoming inactivated.

9 A cell has been infected with an RNA virus. As a consequence, it may …

A. reduce the expression of its surface class I MHC molecules.
B. secrete type I interferons such as interferon-α.
C. shut down most protein translation and destroy most of its RNA.
D. be induced to die by apoptosis.
E. All of the above.

10 Consider two receptors, one inhibitory and one activating, on the surface of natural killer
(NK) cells: KIR receptors that interact with certain class I MHC proteins, and special Fc
receptors that recognize the tail region of IgG antibodies. When NK cells are incubated with an
immortalized B cell line derived by infection of human B cells with Epstein–Barr Virus, the B
cells are killed by NK cells. Normal B cells, in contrast, are not efficiently killed by NK cells. In
each of the following scenarios, indicate whether the described changes are expected to enhance
(E) or suppress (S) the cytotoxicity (killing activity) of the NK cells in this system. Your answer
would be a four-letter string composed of letters E and S only, e.g. SEEE.
( ) The cell line is transformed with human class I MHC genes, and the genes are
expressed.
( ) An anti-CD23 IgG antibody is added to the cells. (CD23 is a known marker on the
surface of the immortalized B cells.)
( ) The cells are treated with stibogluconate, an inhibitor of KIR receptor signaling.
( ) Type I interferons are added to the cells.

11 How are natural killer (NK) cells different from cytotoxic T (TC) cells?
A. NK cells induce apoptosis in their target cells, whereas TC cells are professional
phagocytes.
 B. NK cells kill virus-infected cells, whereas TC cells kill cancerous cells.
C. NK cells kill cells with a high level of class I MHC protein expression, whereas
killing by TC cells requires low expression levels.
D. NK cells respond quickly to a virus infection, whereas the activation of TC cells to
become cytotoxic is a slow process.
E. NK cells are normally abundant in the tissue even before infection, whereas TC cells
are mostly in the bloodstream.

12 Fill in the blank in the following paragraph regarding the innate and adaptive immune
systems. Do not use abbreviations.
“As key components of the innate immune response, … cells
provide the link between the innate and adaptive immune
responses. Upon exposure to pathogens in tissues, they engulf the
microbe, become activated, and travel to nearby lymphoid organs
where they present the processed antigens to the lymphocytes of
the adaptive immune system.”

13 Polyclonal antibodies can be generated against almost any protein of interest by

repeatedly injecting the purified protein into an animal (such as a rabbit) and collecting blood
serum once the animal’s immune system has produced antibodies against the protein. In this
process, the antigen is not injected alone; it is co-injected with a so-called adjuvant to “trick” the
immune system. Additionally, the adjuvant used in the first injection is often different from that
used in later “booster” injections. Freund’s complete adjuvant (C) contains a water–oil emulsion
plus heat-killed Mycobacteria. In contrast, Freund’s incomplete adjuvant (I) lacks the
Mycobacteria component. Which adjuvant (C or I) do you think is used in the booster injections?
Which immune response—primary (P) or secondary (S)—is triggered after the first purified
protein injection? Activation of which antigen-specific immune cells—memory (M) or effector
(E)—is chiefly responsible for the “boosting” effect of the later injections? Write down your
answer as a three-letter string, e.g. ISM.

14 In contrast to a primary immune response, a secondary immune response generally …

A. has a longer lag period.
B. is stronger.
C. involves induction of effector cells to become memory cells.
D. takes longer to develop.
E. All of the above.
15 Mice whose immune systems had previously rejected a tissue transplant from a certain
strain of donor mouse received another transplant shortly afterward, either from the same donor
strain or a new one. All of the recipient mice eventually rejected the transplant. However, one
group did so more quickly than the other group. Do you think this group received the graft from
the original mouse strain (O) or the new strain (N)? Write down O or N as your answer.

16 Indicate true (T) and false (F) statements below regarding lymphocytes in the adaptive
immune system. Your answer would be a four-letter string composed of letters T and F only, e.g.
TTFF.
( ) To induce an adaptive immune response, an invading pathogen must invade a
peripheral lymphoid organ.
( ) Lymphocytes continuously circulate between central and peripheral lymphoid organs.
( ) Upon encountering its specific antigen in a peripheral lymphoid organ, a lymphocyte
remains there to proliferate and differentiate into effector and memory cells.
( ) Memory B and T cells do not recirculate, but rather remain in the peripheral
lymphoid organ in which they develop.

17 If mice are injected with antibodies against selectin homing receptors or against the
integrin ligand I-CAM1 (which is expressed on the surface of endothelial cells), they show
immune defects, such as higher susceptibility to bacterial infections. Which of the following
properties of lymphocytes at endothelial cells would you expect to observe after injection with
both antibodies?
A. Normal lymphocyte rolling and normal lymphocyte adhesion
B. Impaired lymphocyte rolling but normal lymphocyte adhesion
C. Normal lymphocyte rolling but impaired lymphocyte adhesion
D. Impaired lymphocyte rolling and impaired lymphocyte adhesion

18 If heart surgery is necessary in a newborn, the thymus is sometimes removed to gain

better access to the heart. If a lymph node of such a patient is later studied in a microscope, one
particular area of the node is found to have an unusually low number of cells. Looking at the
drawing below, what is the name of this area?
19 Indicate whether each of the following descriptions better applies to the clonal anergy (A),
clonal deletion (D), receptor editing (E), or clonal suppression (S) mechanism of immunological
self-tolerance. Your answer would be a five-letter string composed of letters A, D, E, and S only,
e.g. SADSS.
( ) It involves apoptosis of self-reactive cells.
( ) It is mostly limited to B cells.
( ) It involves regulatory T (Treg) cells.
( ) It involves DNA recombination.
( ) It is limited to central tolerance processes.

20 Mammals produce five major classes of immunoglobulins. Indicate whether each of the
following descriptions better applies to the immunoglobulin A, D, E, G, or M class. Your answer
would be a five-letter string composed of letters A, D, E, G, and M only, e.g. GMADE.
( ) It binds to cells that secrete histamine.
( ) It is the major antibody in secretions such as saliva.
( ) It is the major antibody circulating in the blood.
( ) It is found on the surface of naïve B cells along with IgM.
( ) It forms wheel-like pentamers involved in the primary immune response.
21 Indicate whether each of the following statements is true (T) or false (F) regarding all the
cell-surface immunoglobulin molecules produced by a single, mature, naïve B cell.
( ) They all have the same heavy chain.
( ) They all have the same light chain.
( ) They all have the same antigen-binding site.

22 Where are the hypervariable regions located in a typical antibody molecule?

A. Only in the N-terminal region of the light chain
B. Only in the C-terminal region of the light chain
C. Only in the N-terminal region of the heavy chain
D. Only in the C-terminal region of the heavy chain
E. In the N-terminal region of both the light and the heavy chain

23 You have prepared glass beads coated with rabbit anti-Ig antibodies that were isolated
from rabbits that were immunized with mouse immunoglobulin (Ig). If you incubate a sample of
mononucleated cells from mouse spleen with these beads, which of the following cell types do
you think would stick to the beads?
A. Only macrophages
B. Only B cells
C. Only cytotoxic T cells
D. B cells and cytotoxic T cells
E. B cells and macrophages

24 Antigens and antibodies can form large, insoluble, cross-linked aggregates that
precipitate from solution. The maximal amount of precipitant is observed at a certain
antigen/antibody ratio; adding either excess antigen or excess antibody can prevent (or even
reverse) the precipitation. Consider an antigen with multiple identical antigenic determinants that
can be recognized by either bivalent or decavalent (i.e. pentameric) antibodies with binding sites
that recognize the determinants. The amount of precipitation in the presence of a constant
antigen concentration is plotted as a function of antibody concentration in the following
qualitative graph. Which curve (1 or 2) in the graph do you think corresponds to the bivalent
antibody? Would you expect to see such a bell-shaped curve if the antibodies were monovalent?
 1

Amount of precipitation
2

Total molar antibody concentration

(monomer or pentamer)

A. Curve 1; yes
B. Curve 2; yes
C. Curve 1; no
D. Curve 2; no
E. Curve 2; only if the antigen was also monovalent

25 In the schematic drawing of an antibody molecule below, indicate which letter (A to E)

corresponds to each of the following features. Your answer would be a five-letter string
composed of letters A to E only, e.g. DAECB.

D
A
C

E
 ( ) N-terminus
( ) C-terminus
( ) Light chain
( ) Antigen-binding site
( ) Disulfide bond

26 After having cereal and nut mix for breakfast, your friend realizes that the mix contains a
nut to which she is allergic. Soon afterward, symptoms of an allergic reaction start to appear, and
she is going to take an antihistamine pill to alleviate them. During the allergic reaction in her
body, …
A. mast cells synthesize and secrete IgE antibodies into the blood.
B. the allergen molecules bind to IgE antibodies that are bound to Fc receptors on the
surface of basophils and mast cells.
C. histamine and other amines are recognized by IgE antibodies.
D. histamine binds to mast cells and induces IgE production.
E. All of the above.

27 How many hypervariable loops are there in a bivalent IgG antibody? Write down your
answer in digits, e.g. 5.

28 Indicate whether each of the following normally occurs before (B) or after (A) antigen
stimulation of B cells. Your answer would be a four-letter string composed of letters A and B
only, e.g. AAAA.
( ) V(D)J recombination
( ) Class switch recombination
( ) Somatic hypermutation
( ) Junctional diversification

29 Indicate whether each of the following descriptions better applies to class switching (C),
somatic hypermutation (S), or both (B). Your answer would be a four-letter string composed of
letters B, C, and S only, e.g. SSSB.
( ) It is dependent on activation-induced cytidine deaminase.
( ) It involves sequence changes in the CH domains only.
( ) It increases the affinity of antibody–antigen binding.
( ) It takes place in germinal centers after antigen stimulation.
30 Consider the following three diseases associated with activation-induced deaminase (AID)
and indicate whether you think each of them is accompanied by a higher (H) or lower (L) AID
activity in the affected cells compared to normal cells. Your answer would be a three-letter string
composed of letters H and L only, e.g. LLL.
( )Burkitt’s lymphoma is a cancer of B lymphocytes originating from the germinal
center. In this cancer, chromosomal translocations are observed between the
immunoglobulin heavy-chain genes and proto-oncogenes (genes whose
overexpression can promote cancer), resulting in aberrant expression of the latter.
( ) Diffuse large B cell lymphoma is a cancer of B lymphocytes in which, in addition to
chromosomal translocations, high mutation rates are observed in many genes
including proto-oncogenes.
( ) Hyper IgM syndrome is a genetic immunodeficiency syndrome in which IgM
antibodies are produced by B cells at high levels and for extended periods, while
levels of IgA, IgE, and IgG antibodies are abnormally reduced.

31 Consider two solution chambers of equal volume divided by a dialysis membrane that is
impermeable to antibody molecules but permeable to small antigens. Starting with an antigen
concentration of 4.8 nM in both chambers, you add its specific IgG antibody to one of the
chambers at 1 nM concentration. You then measure the concentration of the antigen in the other
chamber after equilibrium is reached, which turns out to be about 4 nM. What is the association
constant (Ka) for the binding of the antigen to each antigen-binding site of IgG? Assume
independent antigen-binding sites in each antibody molecule. Write down your answer in liters
per mole, in scientific notation with one decimal place, e.g. 5.0 × 102 liters/mole).

32 Indicate whether each of the following descriptions better applies to B cells (B) or T cells
(T) of the adaptive immune system. Your answer would be a four-letter string composed of
letters B and T only, e.g. BTTT.
( ) Their effector cells act mainly at short range.
( ) Their receptors recognize protein fragments that have been processed in antigen-
presenting cells.
( ) They do NOT normally express CD8 protein on their surface.
( ) They can become “killer” cells.

33 Which of the following better describes cross-presentation of protein antigens by

professional antigen-presenting cells to naïve TC cells?
A. Presentation of intracellular antigens by class I MHC proteins
 B. Presentation of intracellular antigens by class II MHC proteins
C. Presentation of extracellular antigens by class I MHC proteins
D. Presentation of extracellular antigens by class II MHC proteins

34 Normally, naïve cytotoxic and helper T cells interact for the first time with foreign
antigens presented by dendritic cells in …
A. the thymus.
B. the bloodstream.
C. peripheral lymphoid organs.
D. the bone marrow.
E. inflamed tissues.

35 Indicate whether each of the following descriptions better applies to B cell receptors (B)
or T cell receptors (T). Your answer would be a four-letter string composed of letters B and T
only, e.g. BTTT.
( ) They can also be produced as secreted antibodies with the same antigen specificity.
( ) They diversify by class switching and somatic hypermutation.
( ) They often exist as heterodimers.
( ) They have a relatively low antigen-binding affinity.

36 Indicate true (T) and false (F) statements below regarding the proteins of our adaptive
immune system. Your answer would be a four-letter string composed of letters T and F only, e.g.
TTFT.
( ) Both B cell receptors and T cell receptors have domains with an immunoglobulin fold,
which consists of a β-sandwich and an intrachain disulfide bond.
( ) MHC proteins are the most polymorphic among human proteins.
( ) MHC proteins and CD4 and CD8 co-receptors are all members of the Ig superfamily.
( ) Both B cell receptors and T cell receptors are stably associated with invariant
transmembrane protein chains that are required for activating intracellular signaling
pathways.

37 Indicate whether each of the following descriptions better applies to class I (1) or class II
(2) MHC proteins of vertebrates. Your answer would be a four-digit number composed of digits
1 and 2 only, e.g. 2221.
( ) They mainly present intracellular peptide fragments.
( ) They are found on most nucleated cells.
 ( ) They present antigens mainly to helper or regulatory T cells.
( ) They are recognized by CD4 co-receptors on helper and regulatory T cells.

38 In antigen presentation to helper T cells (TH cells), both the TCR and co-receptor
proteins…
A. are expressed on the dendritic cell.
B. bind to the class II MHC protein.
C. bind to the presented peptide antigen.
D. All of the above.

39 T cell receptors that do not interact at all with self-peptide–MHC complexes during T cell
development in the thymus normally undergo …
A. positive selection.
B. negative selection.
C. receptor editing.
D. clonal suppression.
E. “death by neglect.”

40 The transcription regulator AIRE (autoimmune regulator) plays a key role in developing
immunological self-tolerance by promoting the production of various cellular proteins that are
mainly expressed outside the thymus. Which of the following cells have the highest level of
AIRE?
A. Double-negative thymocytes
B. Double-positive thymocytes
C. Lymphoid follicle cells in lymph nodes
D. Thymus epithelial cells
E. Peyer’s patch cells

41 In the following schematic diagram, which curve (A to D) do you think better shows the
qualitative relationship between the affinity of a developing T cell’s TCR for self-peptide–MHC
complexes in the thymus and the survival chance of the cell?
 A

Developing T cell Survival

B

Affinity of TCR binding to self

peptide in complex with MHC

42 Sort the following events to reflect the order in which they occur in the presentation of
viral peptides to cytotoxic T cells by a virus-infected cell. Your answer would be a four-letter
string composed of letters A to D only, e.g. BDCA.
(A) Peptide transport into the ER lumen
(B) Partial proteasomal degradation of the viral protein into peptide fragments
(C) Peptide binding to class I MHC protein in the ER lumen
(D) The appearance of viral protein in the cytosol

43 Different mice have different allelic variants of class I MHC genes. Therefore, cytotoxic
T cell (TC cell) clones can be generated by culturing lymphocytes harboring MHC allele A in the
presence of nondividing nucleated cells harboring MHC allele B (and vice versa). These T cells
can normally kill cells harboring allele B by inducing them to undergo apoptosis. Imagine two
strains of mice with MHC allele A that are either wild type (WT) for the gene encoding perforin
(A1) or are mutant and lack the gene (A2). Also imagine two strains of mice with MHC allele B
that are either WT for the gene encoding Fas (B1) or are mutant and lack the gene (B2).
Cytotoxic T cells derived from the A1 strain can induce apoptosis in both B1 and B2 cells.
However, those derived from the A2 strain are only able to induce apoptosis in B1 cells and not
B2 cells. Indicate whether each of the following statements is (Y) or is not (N) consistent with
these observations. Your answer would be a four-letter string composed of letters Y and N only,
e.g. NYNY.
( ) The perforin–granzyme pathway is the only way through which TC cells induce
apoptosis in mouse target cells.
( ) The activation of the Fas–FasL pathway is sufficient to induce apoptosis by TC cells.
 ( ) There are other major pathways (not dependent on perforin or Fas) through which TC
cells induce apoptosis in mouse target cells.
( ) Both pathways (Fas–FasL and perforin–granzyme) are required simultaneously for
the induction of apoptosis by TC cells in mouse target cells.

44 The schematic drawing below summarizes the differentiation of naïve helper T cells (TH
cells) into various effector T cells, which occurs in a peripheral lymphoid organ. Indicate which
effector cell (A to E) in the drawing is better described by each of the following descriptions.
Your answer would be a four-letter string composed of letters A to E only, e.g. DEAE.

( ) It can also develop from thymocytes in the thymus, as well as from naïve TH cells.
 ( ) It suppresses the development, activation, or function of most other immune cells.
( ) It produces IFNγ and activates macrophages.
( ) They reside in lymphoid follicles close to developing B cells.

45 Indicate whether each of the following cell-surface proteins is expressed mainly by B

cells (B), dendritic cells (D), or T cells (T). Your answer would be a four-letter string composed
of letters B, D, and T only, e.g. DBBB.
( ) Co-stimulatory protein B7, which is recognized by CD28
( ) Invariant CD3 complex
( ) Inhibitory CTLA4 protein
( ) CD40 receptor, which recognizes the co-stimulatory protein CD40 ligand on a helper
T cell

46 From an evolutionary perspective, which mating pattern confers a higher fitness to a

mammalian population: preferred mating between pairs whose MHC genes are most similar (S)
or between those whose MHC genes are most dissimilar (D)? Write down D or S as your answer.

47 A patient with persisting larger-than-normal lymph nodes is suspected to have a T cell

lymphoma, a cancer of T lymphocytes. Abnormally enlarged lymph nodes are also found in local
infections, when lymphocytes are activated to proliferate there. In order to distinguish between
cancer and infection, you take tissue samples from the patient, as well as from a healthy
individual, and perform a so-called clonality test. You extract DNA from the tissues and amplify
a small chromosomal region that includes the T-cell-receptor β chain D–J junctions.
Amplification is done by PCR, using primers that hybridize to specific DNA sequences flanking
the junctions. You then analyze the size distributions of the PCR products by capillary
electrophoresis, which makes it possible to distinguish between DNA molecules with small
differences in size. Based on the results, presented in the following schematic graphs, you
conclude that, unfortunately, it is likely that the patient has developed a T cell lymphoma. Which
graph (1 or 2) represents the patient’s test results? Write down 1 or 2 as your answer.
Relative number of PCR products 1

100 200
Size of PCR product (nucleotide pairs)
Answers:
1. Answer: IAAI
Difficulty: 2
Section: The Innate Immune System
Feedback: The innate immune response constitutes the first line of defense, which
employs general defense reactions and is short-lasting. Like the cytotoxic T cells of
adaptive immunity, the NK cells of innate immunity can kill infected host cells by
inducing apoptosis.
2. Answer: D
Difficulty: 2
Section: The Innate Immune System
Feedback: Lymphocytes (e.g. B and T cells of the adaptive immune system) are not
phagocytes.
3. Answer: B
Difficulty: 2
Section: The Innate Immune System
Feedback: Such an individual would not produce the cross-reacting antibodies, and their
plasma would therefore not react with blood from individuals of any ABO type.
4. Answer: E
Difficulty: 1
Section: The Innate Immune System
Feedback: Pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) recognize a variety of pathogen-
associated antigens, and are of various classes.
5. Answer: E
Difficulty: 1
Section: The Innate Immune System
Feedback: Pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) recognize conserved features of
pathogens. PRRs include Toll-like receptors, NOD-like receptors, RIG-like receptors,
and C-type lectin receptors.
6. Answer: G
Difficulty: 3
Section: The Innate Immune System
Feedback: Prostaglandin is a pro-inflammatory signal molecule, and TNF is a pro-
inflammatory cytokine. In gout, NOD-like receptor (NLR)-dependent inflammasome
assembly leads to an inflammatory response, which can be suppressed by drugs such as
glucocorticoids.
7. Answer: SNNS
Difficulty: 1
Section: The Innate Immune System
 Feedback: Neutrophils normally circulate in the bloodstream and are short-lived. They
exit the blood and enter an infected tissue only when needed and are unable to survive the
killing frenzy of the inflammatory response.
8. Answer: FFTF
Difficulty: 2
Section: The Innate Immune System
Feedback: Cleavage and activation of the pivotal complement component, C3, is a result
of the activation of the early components (by antibodies in the classical pathway, or by
lectin binding in the lectin pathway), and in turn activates the late components to form the
membrane attack complex. The complex is assembled on a target membrane only and is
not reusable as a whole. Most activated complement components are rapidly inactivated.
9. Answer: E
Difficulty: 1
Section: The Innate Immune System
Feedback: Type I interferons are produced in response to viral infection and help block
viral replication in multiple ways, for example by shutting down most protein synthesis in
the infected cell. If these measures fail to stop viral replication, the cell may even kill
itself by apoptosis. Many viruses have evolved mechanisms to inhibit the expression of
class I MHC protein on the surface of their host cells.
10. Answer: SEEE
Difficulty: 1
Section: The Innate Immune System
Feedback: The KIR receptors that bind to class I MHC proteins initiate inhibitory signals
upon binding and therefore suppress NK cytotoxicity. Viral infection tends to decrease
the expression of class I MHC proteins by host cells, which partly explains why the virus-
infected B cells are susceptible to NK cytotoxicity, whereas normal B cells are not.
Inhibition of the KIR receptor inhibitory signal by stibogluconate, therefore, enhances
NK cell killing. Additionally, the Fc receptors that bind to the immunoglobulin G (IgG)
Fc regions enhance NK cell killing of target cells coated with IgG antibodies. Finally,
type I interferons enhance NK cell killing activity in general.
11. Answer: D
Difficulty: 2
Section: The Innate Immune System
Feedback: NK cells are components of the innate immune system, which responds
quickly to infection; NK cells circulate in a partially active state and therefore can kill
virally infected cells when they first encounter them. TC cells need to be activated in a
slow process in a lymphoid organ before they can kill virus-infected cells.
12. Answer: dendritic
Difficulty: 1
Section: The Innate Immune System
 Feedback: Dendritic cells provide the link between our innate and adaptive immune
systems.
13. Answer: IPM
Difficulty: 2
Section: Overview of the Adaptive Immune System
Feedback: The adjuvant usually enhances innate immune responses, which are required
to activate the adaptive immune system to respond to an otherwise harmless foreign
protein. The Mycobacteria component in the complete adjuvant performs this trick and
elicits a strong primary immune response, but it is not required for later injections once
memory T and B cells have developed.
14. Answer: B
Difficulty: 2
Section: Overview of the Adaptive Immune System
Feedback: A secondary immune response is different from a primary response in that it
has a shorter lag time and is stronger and more efficient. This is because memory cells
differentiated from naïve cells in the first exposure to the antigen are pre-existing at the
time of the secondary immune response.
15. Answer: O
Difficulty: 2
Section: Overview of the Adaptive Immune System
Feedback: Rejection of a second graft from the original donor strain occurs more quickly,
because memory B and/or T cells were produced in response to the first transplant. This
results in a secondary adaptive immune response to the second transplant from the same
mouse strain that is faster and stronger than the primary immune response elicited when
the second transplant is from a different donor mouse strain.
16. Answer: FFTF
Difficulty: 2
Section: Overview of the Adaptive Immune System
Feedback: Pathogens or their products are carried to a peripheral lymphoid organ via the
blood or lymph, usually by dendritic cells. The process of recirculation between
peripheral lymphoid organs and the bloodstream greatly increases the chance that a
lymphocyte will encounter its specific foreign antigen—usually a pathogen or one of its
products. Both naïve and memory B and T cells take advantage of this recirculation to
police the body; once activated in a peripheral lymphoid organ, they differentiate into
effector cells and memory cells.
17. Answer: D
Difficulty: 1
Section: Overview of the Adaptive Immune System
Feedback: Selectins have a key role in the rolling step, which is followed by the integrin-
dependent adhesion.
18. Answer: paracortex
Difficulty: 2
Section: Overview of the Adaptive Immune System
Feedback: T cells (which develop in the thymus) mostly occupy the paracortex, while B
cells are found mainly in the lymphoid follicles.
19. Answer: DESEE
Difficulty: 2
Section: Overview of the Adaptive Immune System
Feedback: Receptor editing in B cells is a major self-tolerance mechanism that involves
V(D)J recombination and occurs exclusively in a central lymphoid organ such as the
bone marrow in adults. In clonal deletion, T and B cell clones that encounter self antigens
are induced to die by apoptosis. In clonal suppression, Treg cells suppress the activity of
self-reactive T and B cells.
20. Answer: EAGDM
Difficulty: 2
Section: B Cells and Immunoglobulins
Feedback: Each of the five major classes of immunoglobulins in mammals mediates a
characteristic response. IgM and IgD are expressed as B cell receptors on the surface of
naïve B cells. In its secreted form, IgM forms pentamers. The major antibody class in the
blood is IgG. The principal antibody class in secretions such as saliva is IgA. IgE
antibodies bind to Fc receptors on the surface of mast cells and basophils, which are
involved in allergy.
21. Answer: FTT
Difficulty: 1
Section: B Cells and Immunoglobulins
Feedback: A single, mature, naïve B cell has IgM and IgD cell-surface immunoglobulin
molecules with the same type of light chain and antigen-binding site. The IgM and IgD
molecules have different heavy chains.
22. Answer: E
Difficulty: 1
Section: B Cells and Immunoglobulins
Feedback: The greatest diversity in the variable regions of light and heavy chains occurs
in their hypervariable regions. The actual antigen binding site is formed by only about 5-
10 amino acid residues in each hypervariable region.
23. Answer: E
Difficulty: 1
Section: B Cells and Immunoglobulins
Feedback: The mouse B cells will bind because the rabbit antibodies will recognize the
cell-surface antigen receptors (B cell receptors; BCRs), which are Ig molecules.
 Macrophages will bind because they have cell-surface Fc receptors that will recognize the
Fc region of the rabbit anti-Ig antibodies.
24. Answer: D
Difficulty: 3
Section: B Cells and Immunoglobulins
Feedback: Monovalent antibodies would not be able to cross-link the antigen and
therefore would not precipitate the antigen. With the same binding affinity of their
antigen-binding sites, the pentameric IgM molecules would be more effective at cross-
linking antigens than bivalent IgG molecules and so would precipitate the antigen at
lower antibody concentrations (curve 1). The bell-shaped curve implies that both the
antigen and antibody are multivalent.
25. Answer: DEBAC
Difficulty: 1
Section: B Cells and Immunoglobulins
Feedback: Please refer to Figure 24-23.
26. Answer: B
Difficulty: 1
Section: B Cells and Immunoglobulins
Feedback: IgE antibodies bind to Fc receptors on the surface of mast cells and basophils
with high affinity and thereby act as allergen receptors on these cells. Binding of the
allergen causes the cells to release histamine, which causes most of the symptoms of the
allergic reaction.
27. Answer: 12
Difficulty: 2
Section: B Cells and Immunoglobulins
Feedback: There are three hypervariable loops in each of the VH and VL domains, and
each domain is present in two copies per IgG molecule.
28. Answer: BAAB
Difficulty: 2
Section: B Cells and Immunoglobulins
Feedback: Before they can make immunoglobulin (Ig) molecules and thereby bind
antigen, B cells have to undergo V(D)J recombination, which is accompanied by
junctional diversification. After stimulation with an antigen, B cells undergo somatic
hypermutation (as part of their affinity maturation) and class switch recombination (as
part of Ig class switching).
29. Answer: BCSB
Difficulty: 2
Section: B Cells and Immunoglobulins
 Feedback: Both class switching and somatic hypermutation depend on activation-induced
deaminase (AID) and occur after antigen stimulation, which occurs mainly in germinal
centers.
30. Answer: HHL
Difficulty: 2
Section: B Cells and Immunoglobulins
Feedback: If the mutagenic activity of AID is abnormally controlled and becomes
excessive, it can induce hypermutation genome-wide and can also induce abnormal
double-strand DNA breaks and thereby aberrant translocation events. Loss-of-function
mutations in AID can lead to hyper IgM syndrome, because B cells cannot efficiently
perform AID-dependent class switch recombination.
31. Answer: 1.0 × 109 liters/mole
Difficulty: 3
Section: B Cells and Immunoglobulins
Feedback: Free antigen concentration in both chambers is 4 nM at equilibrium, which
means the concentration of bound antigen in the antibody-containing chamber is 1.6 nM,
that is (4.8 nM – 4 nM) × 2, to account for the total antigen present in both chambers.
This is also equal to the concentration of bound antigen-binding sites (not antibodies).
Therefore, the concentration of unbound sites in this chamber is 0.4 nM, that is (1 nM ×
2 – 1.6 nM). The association constant of antigen (Ag) binding to antigen-binding site
(Abs) is thus calculated as:
Ka = [Abs–Ag]eq/([Abs]eq[Ag]eq) = (1.6 nM)/(0.4 nM × 4 nM) = 1 liter/nmol = 1.0 × 109
liters/mole.
32. Answer: TTBT
Difficulty: 2
Section: T Cells and MHC Proteins
Feedback: In contrast to B cells, T cells act mainly at short range and recognize protein
fragments bound to MHC molecules on the surface of antigen-presenting cells. Cytotoxic
T cells, but not B cells, express the CD8 co-receptor.
33. Answer: C
Difficulty: 1
Section: T Cells and MHC Proteins
Feedback: Cross-presentation of foreign antigens by dendritic cells involves loading of
class I MHC proteins with peptides derived from extracellular antigens. It enables special
dendritic cells that are not infected by viruses to present viral antigens to cytotoxic T cells
(TC cells).
34. Answer: C
Difficulty: 1
Section: T Cells and MHC Proteins
 Feedback: Once exposed to a pathogen in an infected tissue, an immature dendritic cell
becomes activated and migrates to a nearby peripheral lymphoid organ, where it presents
processed antigen to naïve T cells.
35. Answer: BBTT
Difficulty: 2
Section: T Cells and MHC Proteins
Feedback: B cell receptors are tetramers made up of two identical heavy chains and two
identical light chains; they can also be made in the form of soluble antibodies and can
undergo affinity maturation by somatic hypermutation. T cell receptors are heterodimers;
they do not undergo somatic hypermutation and affinity maturation and therefore have
relatively low affinity for antigen.
36. Answer: TTTT
Difficulty: 2
Section: T Cells and MHC Proteins
Feedback: The immunoglobulin (Ig) superfamily includes a large number of important
proteins of the immune system, such as antibodies, cell receptors (BCRs), T cell receptors
(TCRs), co-receptors, and invariant chains associated with BCRs and TCRs. They all
have Ig or Ig-like domains in their structure. Also bearing Ig domains, MHC proteins are
highly polymorphic.
37. Answer: 1122
Difficulty: 2
Section: T Cells and MHC Proteins
Feedback: Class I MHC proteins are found on the surface of most nucleated cells and
mainly present intracellular antigens. Class II MHC molecules are present on special
immune cells such as dendritic cells and present mainly extracellular antigens to helper or
regulatory T cells with the help of CD4 co-receptors.
38. Answer: B
Difficulty: 2
Section: T Cells and MHC Proteins
Feedback: Note that T cell receptors (TCRs) bind to both the presented peptide and the
polymorphic parts of the class II MHC protein, whereas the CD4 co-receptor binds only
to the invariant part of the MHC protein.
39. Answer: E
Difficulty: 2
Section: T Cells and MHC Proteins
Feedback: Such receptors are useless without the ability to bind to self MHC proteins in
complex with peptides. The thymocyte harboring the receptor fails to receive survival
signals and dies.
40. Answer: D
Difficulty: 2
 Section: T Cells and MHC Proteins
Feedback: A subset of epithelial cells in the adult thymus express AIRE, helping to
induce self-tolerance to proteins mainly expressed outside the thymus.
41. Answer: C
Difficulty: 3
Section: T Cells and MHC Proteins
Feedback: Too low or too high an affinity would result in a reduction in survival.
42. Answer: DBAC
Difficulty: 2
Section: T Cells and MHC Proteins
Feedback: This form of antigen processing can be carried out by many types of host cells
and uses class I MHC proteins.
43. Answer: NYNN
Difficulty: 3
Section: T Cells and MHC Proteins
Feedback: The ability of the A1 cytotoxic T cells to kill both B1 and B2 cells suggests
that Fas in the target cell is not required to induce apoptosis; the perforin–granzyme
pathway is sufficient. The ability of A2 cytotoxic T cells to kill B1 cells suggests that
perforin in the TC cell is not essential either; activation of Fas is sufficient. Finally, the
inability of A2 cytotoxic T cells to kill B2 cells suggests that at least one of these
pathways (Fas–FasL or perforin–granzyme) should be functional for apoptosis to be
induced and that there are no other major killing pathways in this cell system.
44. Answer: EEAC
Difficulty: 2
Section: T Cells and MHC Proteins
Feedback: Regulatory (suppressor) T cells can develop from thymocytes in the thymus
as well as from naïve TH cells in peripheral tissues. TH1 cells secrete interferon-γ (IFNγ)
which activates macrophages and induces B cells to switch the class of Ig they make. TFH
cells reside in lymphoid follicles and secrete a variety of cytokines; they are especially
important for the stimulation of Ig class switching and somatic hypermutation in B cells.
45. Answer: DTTB
Difficulty: 1
Section: T Cells and MHC Proteins
Feedback: Transmembrane B7 proteins are co-stimulatory signals on the surface of
dendritic cells that are recognized by the co-receptor protein CD28 on the surface of
naïve T cells. Similarly, the CD40 ligand on an effector helper T cell is recognized by
CD40 receptors on B cells. T cells express the inhibitory protein CTLA4 on their surface
to help regulate their activity. The CD3 complex associated with T cell receptors (TCRs)
in T cells help relay the signal into the cell upon TCR stimulation by antigen binding.
46. Answer: D
 Difficulty: 3
Section: T Cells and MHC Proteins
Feedback: Mating between animals whose MHC genes are different provides the
population with the advantage of increased MHC polymorphism and a broader capability
for adaptive immune responses to pathogens.
47. Answer: 2
Difficulty: 3
Section: T Cells and MHC Proteins
Feedback: V(D)J recombination in T lymphocytes creates deletions (or insertions) of
various numbers of nucleotide pairs at the junctions of the V, D, and J segments. In
response to an infection, a number of T lymphocytes (that recognize various antigenic
determinants associated with the pathogen) proliferate to create effector and memory
cells, leading to lymph-node enlargement. The different activated T cell clones normally
differ in the exact number of deleted or inserted nucleotide pairs (graph 1). By contrast,
cancer is a clonal disease; all malignant cells in a T cell lymphoma derive from a single
original cell with its unique V(D)J junctions (graph 2).