Naive T cells travel from the bone marrow to a specific organ for maturation, where T cells reactive to self-antigens are destroyed. Which organ is this?
AThe thymus
BThe spleen
CThe liver
DThe pancreas
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: A. The thymus
1. Immune cells originate from hematopoietic stem cells in the bone marrow.
2. B cell maturation occurs in the bone marrow, while naive T cells transit to the thymus for maturation.
3. In the thymus, immature T cells that react against self-antigens are destroyed, helping prevent autoimmune responses.
4. The spleen filters blood, the liver makes complement proteins, and the pancreas is unrelated to T cell maturation, so none of them is the organ described here.
_Source: OpenStax Biology (1st ed., CC BY 4.0), Ch 42 "The Immune System", section Primary Centers of the Immune System_
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