Howard Hughes Medical Institute

2007 Holiday Lectures on Science

Cells of the Immune System—Student Worksheet

About This Worksheet

This worksheet complements the Click and Learn “Cells of the Immune
System” developed in conjunction with the 2007 Holiday Lectures on
Science, “AIDS: Evolution of an Epidemic.”

Author: Ann Brokaw, Rocky River High School, Rocky River, OH

Answer the following questions as you proceed through the activity slides.

1. Name one type of cell involved in each of the following processes:

NK cells
a. Innate immunity: ______________________________________________________________

b. Adaptive immunity: Eosinophil

____________________________________________________________
Lymphocyte
c. Both adaptive and innate immunity: _______________________________________________
2. Define innate immune system.
Innate immune responses attack microbes indiscriminately.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Bone marrow of
3. Where are the cells of the adaptive immune system found in humans? ______________________
humans
4. Watch the video on slide 3 and answer the following.
a. How do B cells react to antigens?
B cells react to antigens by producing antibodies. And those antibodies go on to neutralize different pathogens.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
b. Which cells conduct the immune system? The helper T cells.
____________________________________________

The cytotoxic T cells

c. Which immune cells kill infected cells? ______________________________________________
5. What is the purpose of humoral immunity?

_____________________________________________________________________________________
The humoral immune system deals with antigens from pathogens that are freely circulating, or

_____________________________________________________________________________________
outside the infected cells.
6. How does antibody specificity arise?
B cells release antibodies into the bloodstream to bind to microbes and neutralize them.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
 Page 2 of 3 Cells of the Immune System—Student Worksheet

7. Outline the specific steps involved in antibody production in response to infection with human
immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

_____________________________________________________________________________________
The virus has to get across a skin barrier it has to be taken up by a specialized cell underneath, just bellow the

_____________________________________________________________________________________
skin called the dentritic cell. That dentritic cell transport the virus to a lymph node and in the lymph node are

_____________________________________________________________________________________
specialized immune cells.

8. Define antigen.
An antigen is a foreign molecule that elicits a specific immune response against it.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
9. A macrophage is also referred to as an antigen-presenting cell. Explain why that is an appropriate
term.
A macrophage, a cell of the innate immune system, engulfs and digests a pathogen and then
_____________________________________________________________________________________
presents fragments on its surface as a signal.
10. Why is antigen-presentation important in fighting infection?
Antigen presentation serves to ensure adaptive immune responses are initiated to invading
_____________________________________________________________________________________
microorganisms.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
11. A T cell is a type of white blood cell that has surface receptors that recognize antigens. Does an
individual T cell have the ability to recognize more than one type of antigen? Explain your answer.
Unlike antibodies, which can typically bind one and only one antigen, T cell receptors have
_____________________________________________________________________________________
more flexibility in their capacity to recognize antigens presented by MHCs.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
12. Explain the relationship between the antigen-presenting cells and helper T cells.

_____________________________________________________________________________________
T helper cells have a T cell receptor and CD4 on their cell surface. they recognize antigen presenting cells.

_____________________________________________________________________________________
They'll present an epitope, a small amount of protein from that patogen at the cell surface.
13. Watch the video on slide 8 and answer the following questions.
a. What specifically results from the release of cytokines by helper T cells?
Cytokines are chemical messengers that send messages to other cells to help orchestrate an
immune response, leading to activation and proliferation of B and T cells.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
b. What is the problem with helper T cells carrying out this function in HIV infection?
HIV specifically attacks Helper T cells. Without an adequate supply of Helper T cells, the
_____________________________________________________________________________________
immune system cannot signal B cells to produce antibodies or Cytotoxic T cells to kill infected cells.
14. What role do cytotoxic T cells play in fighting infection?

_____________________________________________________________________________________
Cytotoxic T cells have TCR's and CD8 receptors on their surface. When their TCR's match the

_____________________________________________________________________________________
viral antigen, they proceed to kill the infected cells.
15. What two molecules on the surface of a cytotoxic T cell help the cell recognize infected cells?

_____________________________________________________________________________________
CD4 and CD8 co-receptors on the surface of T cells. Cytotoxic T cells (TC) express CD8, which

recognizes class I MHC proteins, whereas helper T cells (TH) express CD4, which recognizes

class II MHC proteins.

 Page 3 of 3 Cells of the Immune System—Student Worksheet

16. What is the role of ubiquitin in host cells? Be specific.

The role of ubiquitin is to regulate fundamental cellular processes such as endocytosis, protein
_____________________________________________________________________________________
degradation, and immune signaling.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
17. What is the role of an MHC class 1 protein? Be specific.

Their function is to display peptide fragments of proteins from within the cell to cytotoxic T cells.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
18. What is the relationship between an MHC class 1 protein and a cytotoxic T cell?
MHC class 1 molecule carries small peptides of foreign protein into the cell surface. Once embedded in
_____________________________________________________________________________________
the surface, a signal is sent to cytotoxic T cells that foreign protein is inside the cell.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
19. What is a potential problem with respect to the timing for when a cytotoxic T cell recognizes a
virally infected cell?

_____________________________________________________________________________________
If cryotoxic T cell have not gotten there in time, then the cell will not be killed, and in fact, progeny

_____________________________________________________________________________________
virions can be produced.
20. Summarize the main difference between the action of MHC class 1 and MHC class 2.
The main difference between MHC class 1 and 2 is that MHC class 1 molecules present antigens to
_____________________________________________________________________________________
cytotoxic T cells with CD8+ receptors whereas MHC class 2 molecules present antigens to helper T
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
cells with CD4+ receptors.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

About the Holiday Lectures on Science and BioInteractive.org

As part of its mission to strengthen science education, HHMI presents the Holiday Lectures on Science, an annual series that brings the latest developments in a rapidly moving field of
research into the classroom. The lectures are given by HHMI investigators and other leading scientists. The series began in 1993.
To complement the Holiday Lectures and enhance their usefulness in the classroom, HHMI produces a variety of free science education materials. Lecture summaries, biographies of the
lecturers, and other resources are available at www.holidaylectures.org. DVDs and CD-ROMs can be ordered through HHMI’s Catalog at http://catalog.hhmi.org.
The BioInteractive website (www.BioInteractive.org) features virtual labs, animations, and other engaging instructional materials. They can be used to supplement the lecture topics or to learn
important concepts in the biomedical sciences.

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