Antigen Presenting Cells
When an antigen enters a body, it needs to be identified first so that the immune system can be informed about the invasion. This identification of the antigen is done with the help of the Antigen Presenting Cells or APC. When detecting the presence of an unknown substance comes in contact with the substance engulfs it and then digests the substance in smaller fragments and then these fragments are transported to the cell’s surface with the help of MHC class I and MHC class II molecules, where these fragments will be used as an indicator for the other immune cells to inform them about the invasion. By this mechanism, these APCs inform the immune system about the antigen. Examples of APCs are B-cells before they activate and differentiate into antibodies, dendritic cells, and macrophages.
What is an Antigen?
Antigen is a substance that can trigger an immune response in the body. It is typically a foreign substance, such as a microorganism, a toxin, or a particle, that the immune system recognizes as being “non-self” and potentially harmful. When the immune system encounters an antigen, it produces specific proteins called antibodies that can recognize and neutralize the antigen, or stimulate other immune cells to attack and destroy it
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