1. Neutralizing antibodies are effective at preventing infection or toxicity med
ID: 219520 • Letter: 1
Question
1. Neutralizing antibodies are effective at preventing
infection or toxicity mediated by pathogens or their toxic products. In fact, nearly all vaccines currently in use function by eliciting neutralizing antibodies. The most important feature of a neutralizing antibody is:
A. Having a high degree of multi-valency, such as being a pentamer or hexamer of immunoglobulin monomers
B. Having high affinity for the antigen
C. Being present at a high concentration in the circulation
D. Being efficient at activating the complement cascade
E. Having a long half-life in the body
2. IgM antibodies are much more efficient than IgG at activating the complement cascade. However, under certain circumstances, IgG antibodies will activate the complement pathway. One example of a situation in which IgG binding to its antigen will
NOT trigger the complement cascade is when:
A. The IgG antibodies bind to a multivalent soluble antigen in solution, such as a polysaccharide structure shed from a bacterial pathogen.
B. The IgG antibodies bind to a viral capsid protein that is present in more than 100 copies on the viral particle surface.
C. The IgG antibodies bind to a bacterial surface by recognizing a repetitive polysaccharide component of the bacterial capsule.
D. The IgG antibodies are binding self-antigens such as chromatin released from dead cells.
E. The IgG antibodies are neutralizing a bacterial toxin protein by blocking the receptor-attachment site on the toxin.
3. Antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) is an important effector mechanism in immunity to virus infections. This immune pathway has also been exploited for clinical applications. For instance, patients with
various disorders, including rheumatoid arthritis and some B cell lymphomas, are treated with an antibody directed at CD20, a surface receptor expressed on all B cells. This antibody leads to the depletion of B cells from the patients by the actions of:
A. Natural killer (NK) cells
B. Cytotoxic CD8 T cells
C. Cytotoxic CD4 T cells
D. Activated macrophages
E. The complement cascade membrane attack complex
Explanation / Answer
2) D. The IgG antibodies are binding self-antigens such as chromatin released from dead cells.
3) E. The complement cascade membrane attack complex
The Fc portion of the antibody binds C1q, the first component of the classical complement pathway. Binding of C1q triggers a proteolytic cascade, resulting in accumulation of C3b. C3b molecules act as opsonins for phagocyting cells but also bind to the C3 convertase to form a C5 convertase, leading to the generation of the membrane attack complex (MAC), which kills the cell.
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