Topic summary
MHC II
Extracted from the Wikipedia article MHC class II.
Antigen processing and presentation
Unlike MHC I, MHC II is meant to present extracellular pathogens rather than intracellular. Furthermore, the first step is to acquire the pathogen through phagocytosis. The pathogen is then broken down in a lysosome and a desired component is then acquired and loaded onto a MHC II molecule. The MHC II molecule then travels to the surface to present the antigen to a . MHC II activates helper T cells which help release cytokines and other things which will help induce other cells which help to combat the pathogens outside the cells.