What process allows one lymphocyte to proliferate into many during the adaptive immune response?
Understand the Problem
The question is asking about the process that enables a single lymphocyte to replicate and produce many copies during the adaptive immune response, which indicates the body's mechanism for fighting pathogens.
Answer
Clonal expansion.
The process that allows one lymphocyte to proliferate into many during the adaptive immune response is called clonal expansion.
Answer for screen readers
The process that allows one lymphocyte to proliferate into many during the adaptive immune response is called clonal expansion.
More Information
Clonal expansion is a critical process in the adaptive immune response where, after recognizing an antigen, a lymphocyte (such as a T cell) rapidly divides by mitosis. This creates a large number of identical effector cells capable of effectively fighting the pathogen.
Tips
A common mistake is confusing clonal expansion with clonal selection. Clonal selection refers to the process of selecting a lymphocyte that recognizes a specific antigen, while clonal expansion is the subsequent multiplication of that selected lymphocyte.
Sources
- The Adaptive Immune Response: T Lymphocytes and Their Functional Types - courses.lumenlearning.com
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