This question is for an Immunology course Please help thanks

This question is for an Immunology course. Please help thanks: An individual has been born with an inability to produce ZAP-70. How will this affect T cell response?

Solution

Answer:

T cell or T lymphocyte: (a subtype of white blood cell) that plays a prime role in cell-mediated immunity. They are known as T-cells, as they mature in the thymus from thymocytes. T-cells are part of adaptive immune system.

ZAP-70: It is \"Zeta-chain-Associated Protein kinase 70\" & is a protein generally seen near the surface membrane of T cells and natural killer cells. It is part of the T cell receptor, and plays a vital role in T-cell signaling.

If an individual has been born with an inability to produce ZAP-70 then the T-cell maturation gets completely affected and also the thymic development. Moreover, the absence of ZAP-70 inhibits T cell activation and stops transcription of several gene products that allow the T cells to differentiate, proliferate and secrete a number of cytokines.

Deficiency of ZAP-70 causes a combined immunodeficiency (CID). Affected children in the first two years after birth experience recurrent infections, similar to infants with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID). However, diagnosis can be delayed because most patients with ZAP-70 deficiency have detectable lymphoid tissues and a normal lymphocyte count. The treatment of choice is hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT).