Washington Master Esthetics Practice Exam

What do most of the clones produced through clonal selection become?

1. Memory cells

2. T regulatory cells

3. Plasma cells

4. Cytotoxic T cells

The correct answer is: Plasma cells

The correct answer is plasma cells. When clonal selection occurs in response to an antigen, a specific B cell that recognizes that antigen proliferates and generates a clonal population of cells. Most of these cloned B cells differentiate into plasma cells, which are responsible for producing antibodies. These antibodies are crucial in the immune response as they bind to the antigen, marking it for destruction and neutralizing its effects. While some clones may become memory cells, which provide long-term immunity, the primary function of the majority of clones generated during an immune response is to produce and secrete antibodies as plasma cells. This is vital for effectively combating the invading pathogen. Other options like T regulatory cells and cytotoxic T cells relate to T cell responses and are not the primary outcome of B cell clonal selection. Hence, the focus on plasma cells aligns directly with the primary goal of B cell activation through clonal selection.