What happens during anergy?
A) T cells recognize self-major histocompatibility complex (MHC) proteins.
B) Self-reactive T cells that are unresponsive to antigenic stimulation remain in the body.
C) Self-reactive T cells that are weakly responsive to antigens are eliminated from the body.
D) T cells react with self-peptide fragments.
E) T cells undergo apoptosis and die.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Anergy refers to a state of unresponsiveness in T cells that occurs when they encounter an antigen in the absence of a co-stimulatory signal. This can happen with self-antigens or with foreign antigens that are presented in a way that does not provide the necessary co-stimulation. When self-reactive T cells encounter self-antigens in this way, they do not receive the co-stimulatory signals they need to become activated and respond to the antigen. Instead, they become anergic, which means they are unresponsive to further antigenic stimulation. These anergic T cells remain in the body, but they do not cause autoimmunity because they are not actively responding to self-antigens.

What Happens During Anergy