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1°
|
primary (example: primary response to first contact with a antigen) |
2°
|
secondary (example: secondary response to repeat contact with a antigen) |
aa
|
amino acid |
Ab
|
antibody |
ADCC
|
antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity |
Ag
|
antigen |
AIDS
|
acquired immune deficiency syndrome |
APC
|
antigen-presenting cell |
BCR
|
B cell (antigen) receptor = Ig |
BM
|
bone marrow |
C'
|
complement |
C region
|
constant region of molecule or gene |
CAM
|
cell adhesion molecule |
CD
|
cluster designation, cluster of differentiation (cell surface molecule) |
CDR
|
complementarity-determining (hypervariable) region of Ig |
CMI
|
(T) cell-mediated immunity |
CML
|
cell-mediated lysis |
Con A
|
concanavalin A (a plant lectin) |
CR
|
complement receptor |
CSF
|
colony-stimulating factor |
CTL
|
cytotoxic T lymphocyte |
DC
|
dendritic cell |
DTH
|
delayed type hypersensitivity |
ELISA
|
enzyme linked immunosorbent assay |
Fab
|
antigen-binding region of antibody |
FACS
|
fluorescence-activated cell sorter |
Fc
|
crystalizable region of antibody |
FcR
|
receptor for antibody Fc |
FR
|
framework region of antibody |
H-2
|
mouse histocompatibility gene complex (MHC) |
HA
|
hemagglutinin |
H chain
|
heavy chain of Ig |
HEV
|
high endothelial venule |
HLA
|
human leukocyte antigen (MHC) |
ICAM
|
intercellular adhesion molecule |
IFN
|
interferon |
Ig
|
immunoglobulin (antibody) |
Ii
|
invariant chain of Class II MHC |
IL
|
interleukin |
J chain
|
joining chain of Ig A and IgM |
J region
|
joining region of Ig and TCR genes |
K cell
|
killer cell |
LAK cell
|
lymphokine-activated killer cell |
L chain
|
light chain of Ig |
LFA
|
leukocyte functional antigen |
LGL
|
large granular lymphocyte (NK cell) |
LPS
|
lipopolysaccharide (endotoxin) |
LT
|
lymphotoxin |
mAb
|
monoclonal antibody |
MAC
|
membrane attack complex (of complement) |
MAF
|
macrophage activating factor |
MALT
|
mucosal-associated lymphoid tissue |
MHC
|
major histocompatibility complex |
MIF
|
macrophage inhibitory factor |
MLC
|
mixed lymphocyte culture |
NK
|
natural killer cell |
PAF
|
platelet activating factor |
PALS
|
periarteriolar lymphoid sheath |
PBL (PBML)
|
peripheral blood leukocyte (mononuclear cell) |
PCA
|
passive cutaneous anaphylaxis |
PCR
|
polymerase chain reaction |
PFC
|
plaque-forming cell |
PHA
|
phytohemagglutinin (a plant lectin) |
PMN
|
polymorphonuclear leukocyte (usually a neutrophil) |
PWM
|
pokeweed mitogen (a plant lectin) |
RBC
|
red blood cell (erythrocyte) |
RES
|
reticuloendothelial system |
RIA
|
radioimmunoassay |
TAP
|
transporter of antigen protein |
Tc
|
cytotoxic T cell |
TCR
|
T cell (antigen) receptor |
Td
|
delayed type hypersensitivity T cell (now called Th1) |
TdT
|
terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase |
Th
|
helper T cell (now called Th1 or Th2) |
TNF
|
tumor necrosis factor |
Ts
|
suppressor T cell |
V region
|
variable region of a molecule or gene |
Vocabulary
Immunologists use these common English words in ways specific to immune function. Watch for them and be aware of their immunological meaning:
chaperone: a molecule which controls the three dimensional folding and transport of another molecule.
competent: having a fully functioning immune system.
complement (note spelling!!!): a group of proteins in blood which attract white blood cells to the site of infection, help them engulf the pathogen, and kill some pathogens by making their membranes leaky.
discriminate: to tell the difference between two antigens and especially between "self" and "non-self" (foreign) antigens, a fundamental property of the immune system.
diversity: the large number of antibodies and T cell antigen receptors that can be produced by the immune system; by extension, the large number of antigens that can be recognized and to which responses can be made.
foreign: not naturally found in your body, something that signals the immune system to make a protective response. Infectious agents are foreign; so are pollens, cat dander, and transplanted human organs.
immunity: protection from disease arising from previous exposure to a pathogen or vaccine.
naïve: a lymphocyte which has not yet encountered its specific antigen, or an individual who has not been exposed to a particular antigen.
native [antigen]: as it exists in nature; not processed.
memory: the ability of the immune system and of lymphocytes to respond more quickly to a repeat encounter with an antigen. We are vaccinated against pathogens to generate immune memory.
neutralization: the ability of antibody to inactivate a toxin or to block a virus from infecting a cell .
presentation: the display of small antigen fragments bound to specialized proteins on the surface of antigen-presenting cells or virus-infected cells. T lymphocytes can only respond to presented antigen.
processed [antigen]: cut into small pieces (usually peptides) for presentation to T cells.
professional [antigen presenting cell]: a cell whose predominant functions include presentation of antigen, for example, macrophages, dendritic cells, and B lymphocytes. Virus-infected cells present antigen as long as they are infected, but presentation is not their predominant function.
recognize/see: to bind antigen specifically to a cell surface receptor. This is a property of B and T lymphocytes, and initiates the immune response that results in immune memory.
repertoire: the complete "list" of antigens each person's immune system can recognize and to which it can respond. In most of us, this repertoire is probably in the hundreds of millions of antigens.
tolerance: the inability of the immune response to respond to antigen. The immune system is usually tolerant to "self" antigens because lymphocytes that can recognize self are eliminated before they mature. T lymphocytes are also tolerant to antigens which are not presented.
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