Medical Laboratory Scientist (MLS) ASCP Exam 2025 – 400 Free Practice Questions to Pass the Exam

Helper T cells, also known as CD4+ T cells, play a crucial role in the immune system by regulating the activity of other immune cells. Their primary function involves the production of various cytokines, which are signaling molecules that help orchestrate the immune response. By releasing these cytokines, helper T cells assist in activating B cells, which are responsible for antibody production, and cytotoxic T cells, which target and kill infected cells.

This regulatory function is essential for a coordinated immune response, as it ensures that the appropriate immune components are activated at the right time and intensity. Without helper T cells, the immune system would struggle to mount an effective response to infections, as many aspects of the immune response rely on their signaling activities to activate and direct the actions of other immune cells.

The other answer choices highlight functions that are performed by different types of immune cells. For example, cytotoxic T cells are primarily responsible for directly killing infected cells, while B cells are the ones that produce antibodies. Inducing apoptosis is a function primarily associated with cytotoxic T cells as well. Thus, while all these functions are important to the immune response, the unique and critical role of helper T cells is to regulate and support the functions of other immune cells.