The following statement is similar to the statements you will see on exams. Writ
ID: 70468 • Letter: T
Question
The following statement is similar to the statements you will see on exams. Write a short paragraph describing 1) whether the statement is correct or incorrect and 2) the reasoning behind your answers. Paragraphs that demonstrate complete and thorough reasoning will receive full points.
If a person's Helper T cells were able to be activated and were able to clonally expand, but were unable to secrete cytokines, that person would be more susceptible to both bacterial and viral infections because of decreased reponses of Cytotoxic T cells and B cells.
Explanation / Answer
This statement is correct. Cytokines play a very important role in the differentiation and activation of a T cell. Depending on the cytokines a T helper cell may differentiate into TH1 or TH2. It is TH1 cells which activate cytotoxic T cells and B cells. In both the cases of activation the effector helper T cells recognize the same foreign peptide that initially activated them via dendritic cells. If cytotoxic T cells are not activated then the cells infected by pathogens won't be killed. Similarly if B cells are not properly activated then they won't be able to secrete antibodies that can coat microbe and activate the complement system and clear them from the host body.