Somatic hypermutation

(noun)

a cellular mechanism by which the immune system adapts to the new foreign elements that confront it (for example, microbes). A major component of the process of affinity maturation, SHM diversifies B cell receptors used to recognize foreign elements (antigens) and allows the immune system to adapt its response to new threats during the lifetime of an organism.

Related Terms

  • V(D)J recombination

Examples of Somatic hypermutation in the following topics:

  • Antibodies: Classes and Affinity Maturation

    • Antibodies undergo class switching, somatic hypermutation, and affinity maturation to improve their effectiveness to specific pathogens.
    • In these rapidly dividing cells, the genes encoding the variable domains of the heavy and light chains undergo a high rate of point mutation by a process called somatic hypermutation (SHM).
  • Antibody Genes and Diversity

    • The first stage is called somatic, or V(D)J, which stands for variable, diverse, and joining regions recombination.
    • In these rapidly dividing cells, the genes encoding the variable domains of the heavy and light chains undergo a high rate of point mutation, by a process called somatic hypermutation (SHM).
    • Somatic hypermutation involves a programmed process of mutation affecting the variable regions of immunoglobulin genes.
    • Outline the two stages which result in antibody diversity: somatic (V(D)J) and recombination stages
  • Maturation of B Cells

    • The B cell may either become one of these cell types directly or it may undergo an intermediate differentiation step, the germinal center reaction, where the B cell will hypermutate the variable region of its immunoglobulin gene ("somatic hypermutation") and possibly undergo class switching.
  • Somatic Symptom Disorders

    • Somatic symptom disorders involve physical symptoms but lack physical evidence of illness or injury.
    • A somatic symptom disorder, formerly known as a somatoform disorder, is a category of mental disorder included in a number of diagnostic schemes of mental illness, including the recent DSM-5 section Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders.
    • Those that do not pass the diagnostic criteria for a somatic symptom disorder but still present physical symptoms are usually referred to as having "somatic preoccupation".
    • Their replacement, somatic symptom disorder, has the following criteria for diagnosis:
    • Somatic symptom disorder is a controversial diagnosis.
  • Comparing the Somatic and Autonomic Nervous Systems

    • The peripheral nervous system includes both a voluntary, somatic branch and an involuntary branch that regulates visceral functions.
    • The peripheral nervous system (PNS) is divided into the somatic nervous system and the autonomic nervous system.
    • The somatic nervous system (SoNS) is the part of the peripheral nervous system associated with the voluntary control of body movements via skeletal muscles.
    • The somatic nervous system controls all voluntary muscular systems within the body, and also mediates involuntary reflex arcs.
    • The somatic nervous system consists of three parts:
  • Localization of Pain

    • Localization of pain is determined by whether the pain is superficial somatic, visceral, or deep somatic.
    • Nociceptive pain may also be divided into visceral, deep somatic, and superficial somatic pain.
    • Deep somatic pain is initiated by the stimulation of nociceptors in ligaments, tendons, bones, blood vessels, fasciae, and muscles, and is a dull, aching, poorly localized pain.
    • Examples of injuries that produce superficial somatic pain include minor wounds and minor (first degree) burns.
  • Sensory-Somatic Nervous System

    • The sensory-somatic nervous system transmits sensory information from the body to the brain and motor movements from the brain to the body.
    • The sensory-somatic nervous system is composed of cranial and spinal nerves and contains both sensory and motor neurons.
    • Without its sensory-somatic nervous system, an animal would be unable to process any information about its environment (what it sees, feels, hears, etc. ) and could not control motor movements.
    • Explain the role of the cranial and spinal nerves in the sensory-somatic nervous system
  • Mutation

    • They can also be induced by the organism itself, through cellular processes such as hypermutation.
  • The Role of the Cell Cycle

    • While there are a few cells in the body that do not undergo cell division, most somatic cells divide regularly.
    • A somatic cell is a general term for a body cell: all human cells, except for the cells that produce eggs and sperm (which are referred to as germ cells), are somatic cells.
    • Somatic cells contain two copies of each of their chromosomes (one copy received from each parent).
  • Autonomic Reflexes

    • In these cases, the body will interpret the afferent pain stimulus as somatic.
    • If the peritoneal cavity becomes inflamed or if the bowel is suddenly distended, the body will interpret the afferent pain stimulus as somatic in origin.
    • This schematic (but not anatomically correct) depiction of a typical spinal nerve indicates (1) somatic efferent fibers, (2) somatic afferent fibers, (3 to 5) sympathetic efferent fibers, and (6 and 7) sympathetic afferent fibers.
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