CLEP Biology Microbiology and Immunology Flashcards
6 cards from real CLEP practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 CLEP Biology Microbiology and Immunology flashcards as text
Which cells are responsible for producing and secreting antibodies?
Answer: Plasma cells
Plasma cells are fully differentiated B lymphocytes that produce and secrete large amounts of antibodies specific to a particular antigen.
What is the primary function of MHC Class I molecules?
Answer: Presenting intracellular antigens to CD8+ cytotoxic T cells
MHC Class I molecules present intracellular peptide antigens to CD8+ cytotoxic T cells, signaling them to kill infected or cancerous cells.
Which immunoglobulin class is most abundant in serum and is the only antibody that crosses the placenta?
Answer: IgG
IgG is the most abundant serum antibody and crosses the placenta to provide passive immunity to the developing fetus and newborn.
Which process allows developing B cells to generate highly diverse antibody specificities?
Answer: V(D)J recombination
V(D)J recombination randomly combines variable, diversity, and joining gene segments during B cell development to create diverse antigen-binding sites.
Which complement pathway is activated by antibody-antigen complexes?
Answer: Classical pathway
The classical complement pathway is initiated when C1q binds to antibody-antigen complexes, triggering a proteolytic cascade that destroys pathogens.
Vaccines confer protection primarily by:
Answer: Stimulating memory cell formation without causing disease
Vaccines introduce antigens to stimulate adaptive immunity and generate memory cells, enabling rapid, robust responses upon future exposure to the real pathogen.