Learning Objectives for "The Adaptive Immune System: SARS-CoV-2 Nucleic Acid Vaccines"

After completing this section you should be able to perform the following objectives.

1*. Briefly describe the makeup of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccines and state the functions of both the lipid nanoparticle and the mRNA.

2*. Briefly describe how muscle cells process the vaccine's mRNA, indicating the role of the cell's ribosomes and its MHC-I molecules.

3*. Briefly describe how antigen-presenting dendritic cells process the vaccine's mRNA, indicating the role of the host cell's ribosomes and its MHC-I molecules.

4*. Briefly describe how antigen-presenting dendritic cells processe the S-proteins that enter through endocytosis, indicating the role of the host cell's MHC-II molecules.

5*. Briefly describe how the antibodies made by B-lymphocytes and plasma cells against the S-protein are able to neutralize SARS-CoV-2.

6*. Briefly describe how the viral peptide bound to MHC-II molecules on the dendritic cells are able to activate naive T4-lymphocytes and state the overall role of the resulting effector T4-lymphocytes.

7*. Briefly describe how the viral peptide bound to MHC-I molecules on the dendritic cells are able to activate naive T8-lymphocytes and state the function of the resulting cytotoxic T-lymphocytes that are produced.