Final answer:
Affinity maturation enhances the immune system's ability to produce high-affinity antibodies through somatic hypermutation and selection. Mutations in B cell receptors that increase the affinity for an antigen will lead to the proliferation of those higher-affinity B cells, creating a more effective antibody response upon subsequent antigen exposures.
Step-by-step explanation:
Affinity maturation is an essential function of the immune system that enhances the ability of antibodies to bind to antigens with higher affinity. This process takes place after B cells are re-exposed to an antigen. During the primary immune response, B cells with receptors specific to an antigen will proliferate and produce antibodies against that antigen. Upon subsequent exposures, through a process called somatic hypermutation, mutations occur in the immunoglobulin gene variable regions of memory B cells. These mutations can result in B cells with altered antigen-binding sites.
If the alterations lead to a higher affinity for the antigen, those B cells will preferentially be stimulated to proliferate and produce more antibodies. As a result of this selection mechanism, the immune system generates a pool of antibodies with increasingly higher average affinity towards the specific antigen. This refined response means that the higher-affinity antibodies will bind more strongly and stably to the antigen, offering a more effective defense. Multimeric antibodies like IgM may exhibit high avidity due to multiple binding sites, while monomeric antibodies such as IgG are typically of high affinity.
The use of adjuvants in vaccine formulation serves to enhance this immune response by provoking a generalized activation of the immune system, resulting in greater production of high-affinity antibodies.