Question

Somatic hypermutation mainly contributes to

• A. Antibody class change
• B. Increased affinity of antibodies
• C. T-cell activation
• D. Isotype switching

Hint:

Remember: \[ \boxed{ \begin{aligned} \text{Somatic hypermutation} &\rightarrow \text{Affinity maturation} \text{Class switching} &\rightarrow \text{Change in antibody isotype} \end{aligned} } \]

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Step 1: Recall somatic hypermutation. Somatic hypermutation introduces point mutations in the variable (V) regions of immunoglobulin genes in activated B cells.

Step 2: Identify its significance. B cells producing antibodies with higher affinity are selected during affinity maturation. Thus, somatic hypermutation mainly results in \[ \boxed{\text{Increased affinity of antibodies}.} \] Therefore, \[ \boxed{(B)} \] is the correct answer.