13 - Innate Immunity Components Flashcards
Ways that commensals protect against infection 1) 2) 3) 4)
1) Production of toxic metabolites
2) Production of bacteriocins, antibiotics
3) Competition for binding sites on GIT epithelium
4) Stimulation of antibacterial compound production by epithelial cells through PAMP recognition
MBL (mannan binding lectin) ligand
Mannan on bacterial cell wall
Proportion of blood proteins that are complement
~10%
Effects of complement activation 1) 2) 3) 4)
1) Inflammation
2) Opsonisation
3) Chemotaxis
4) Lysis of microbes
What are complement proteins?
Inactive proteins (often pro-enzymes, zymogens) in serum activated by proteolysis to carry out a range of immune functions
Number of C’ proteins
Over 30
What produce C’ proteins?1)2)3)4)
1) Hepatocytes
2) Macrophages/monocytes
3) Some epithelial cells
4) Neutrophils (less commonly)
Globin plasma
Protein component of plasma
How are C’ activated?
Enzymatic cascade
Significance of ‘a’ and ‘b’ fragments of a C’
‘a’ is smaller fragment, ‘b’ is larger fragment.Exception is C2, where ‘a’ is larger
Where does activation of C’ often occur?
Surface of pathogen
How do host cells minimise self damage by C’?
Self cells have regulatory factors on their surfaces for reducing C’ activity.
Pathogens lack these
Activity of soluble/fluid phase C’
Often transiently active, inactive.
Which C’ pathway is an effector of humoral immunity?
Classical pathway
Alternative pathway origins
Evolutionarily older than the lectin or classical pathways
Antibody-independent pathways
Lectin, alternative
Steps in C’ cascade1)2)3)
1) Initiation
2) Early
3) Late
Initiation 1)2)3)
1) 3 pathways for activation
2) Different pathways use different, but homologous components
3) Result in formation of different, but homologous C3 convertases
Early stages1)2)
1) Cleavage of C3
2) Formation of C5 convertase
How can C3 be cleaved?1)2)
1) C3 convertase (C4b/C2a, C3b/Bb)
2) Spontaneous hydrolysis of C3 (tickover)
Types of C3 convertase1)2)
1) Classical/lectin - C4b/C2a
2) Alternative - C3b/Bb
Late steps (effector phase)1)2)
1) After C3 cleavage, C5 convertases are formed
2) C5 activation results in pore formation, inflammation, cell lysis
Common steps in complement activation1)2)3)
1) C3 convertase cleaves C3 (C4b/C2a or C3b/Bb)
2) C3 is cleaved, C3a is an inflammatory mediator, C3b binds to the surface of microbe (acts as an opsonin)
3) C3 convertases form the C5 convertases (C4b/C2a/C3b or C3b/Bb/C3b)
How does C3b bind to microbial surface?
Cleavage exposes reactive thioester groups on C3b
Reactive thioester groups bind amino and hydroxyl groups on microbial surface
Two types of C5 convertase
1) Classical/lectin - C4b/C2a/C3b
2) Alternative - C3b/Bb/C3b
Alternative pathway initiation1)2)3)4)5)6)
1) Low-levels of C3 hydrolysis initiate formation of active intermediates2) Intermediates cleave C3 to C3a and C3b. In fluid, C3b is short-lived3) C3b thioester group is revealed, C3b binds to microbial surface4) B cleaved by factor D to Bb5) C3b and Bb form C3 convertase on microbial surface6) Properdin binds and stabilises C3 convertase on microbial surface
What cleaves B into Bb?
Factor D
What stabilises C3 convertase on microbial surface in alternative pathway?
Properdin
How is C5 convertase formed in the alternative pathway?
When C3 convertase cleaves C3, C3b joins C3b/Bb on cell surface, forms C5 convertase
Factor Bb1)2)3)
1) Active form of factor B
2) Cleaved by factor D
3) Forms alternative C3 convertase with C3b, and alternative C5 convertase with two C3b’s
Factor D1)2)
1) Serine protease
2) Cleaves factor B when bound to C3b
How is alternative initial phase regulated?1)2)
1) Factors I and H rapidly degrade C3b in fluid phase
2) C3b can bind host-cell surfaces, but is rapidly inactivated by complement regulatory proteins on these cells
Factor I and factor H role
Inactivate C3b in fluid phase
What initiates the classical C’ pathway?
C1q binding to an antibody or C-reactive protein, bound to a pathogen
C1 structure
A compex of C1q (6x collagen-like tails, 6x globular heads), C1r and C1s (serine proteases)
What does C reactive protein bind?
Phosphocholine residues on bacterial surfaces
How is C1 activated?
C1q binding activates C1r to cleave C1s, which forms an active serine protease
IgGs that best activate classical pathway
IgG1, IgG3
Antibody that best activates classical pathway
IgM
Minimum number of Ig heavy chains that C1q must bind to activate classical pathway
2
Can soluble IgM activate classical pathway?
No
How does IgM/IgG activate classical pathway?
Binds to pathogen, this results in a conformational change.IgM Fc region involved in C1q binding is exposed