Affinity maturation is the process by which B cells respond to exposure to antigens, creating antibodies that tag the antigens for removal. The process involves cloning and cellular variation, with stronger cells binding to antigens and cloning more than weaker cells. This process is important for an enhanced pathogen response in continuous exposure to antigens.
Affinity maturation is a response of the immune system. This term describes the actions of a type of lymphocyte called B cells and how they respond to exposure to antigen. It is a process of cellular variation and selection.
The immune system is responsible for protecting the body from foreign antigens. This is done by creating antibodies that attack and neutralize antigens before they can cause problems. Affinity maturation is the process that determines the role of B cells in the immune system response.
B-cell lymphocytes are created in the bone marrow. When a foreign antigen enters the body, B cells are activated as they bind to the antigen. After the association, the cells now have two tasks. The first task in affinity maturation is to secrete antibodies that bind to specific antigens. Through this action, the antigens are now being tagged for removal through the innate system and its processes.
The second task in the affinity maturation of a B cell is cloning, or making copies. A B cell that has completed the binding process must clone itself. Autocloning often results in new cells that have different receptors for pathogens than the parent cells. New cells can also bind to antigens, but only if the new cells are strongly attracted to the antigens. These new cells continue the process by cloning themselves as the parent cells did.
When a related or cloned B cell has a high level of attraction to an antigen, this is called cell affinity. B cells with a higher affinity for an antigen are more likely to clone and have a stronger affinity. All B cells compete to bind with antigens available for binding. There will be some cells with stronger affinity levels than others, so these will clone more than others.
Through the whole process, affinity maturation is achieved as cloned cells create new cells. Cell cloning provides a hypermutation so that each new generation of cells is more attracted to the antigen than the previous ones, which is what the variation looks like. The selective aspect is evident in the stronger cells binding to the antigens instead of the weaker ones.
An enhanced pathogen response in B cells is important when exposure to antigens is continuous or when antigens continue to replicate. B cells and antigens possess the ability to reproduce and create new, stronger cells. Similar to the affinity maturation of B cells, the antigen cells get stronger and more resilient with each new generation of cells. It is a competition between the two cell types to determine which is stronger. In most cases, the immune system provides additional responses to the invasion, giving the B cells an added edge.
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