15 - Immunological Tolerance & Autoimmunity Flashcards
Immune tolerance
The failure to mount an immune response to an antigen
Self tolerance
The state in which the host immune system includes mature lymphocytes which have receptors that can recognise self antigens expressed on normal tissues of the body, but these lymphocytes do not function when self antigen is recognised
Autoimmunity
Breakdown or failure of self tolerance such that lymphocytes specific for self antigen are activated
Autoantibodies
Antibodies produced against self antigen
Central tolerance
Immature lymphocytes specific for self antigens may encounter these antigens in the generative lymphoid organs and are deleted, change their specificity (B cells only), or (CD4 + T cells) develop into regulatory lymphocytes (Tregs)
Peripheral tolerance
- Some self-reactive lymphocytes may mature and enter peripheral tissues
- Inactivated or deleted by an encounter with self antigens in these tissues or are suppressed by the regulatory T cells (Tregs)
Autoimmune regulator protein (AIRE)
- Part of a complex that regulates the expression of tissue restricted antigens (TRAs) in medullary thymic epithelial cells (MTECs).
- Peptides derived from these antigens are displayed on the MTEC and recognised by immature antigen-specific T cells, leading to the deletion of many self-reactive T cells.
Negative selection
Deletion
Absence of functional AIRE
- Immature self reactive T cells are not eliminated
- Leads to autoimmunity
Mechanisms of peripheral T cell tolerance
- Anergy (irreversible functional unresponsiveness)
- Suppression (block in activation)
- Deletion (apoptosis)
Costimulatory molecule present in normal T cell response that is absent in self reactive responses
B7 (binds CD28)
Mechanisms of T cell anergy
- Recognition of self antigen in absence of costimulation leads to either:
- A block in signaling from the T cell receptor (TCR) complex OR
- Engagement of inhibitory receptors
Examples of inhibitory receptors
- Cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen 4 [CTLA-4]
- Programmed cell death protein-1 [PD-1]).
Signalling block mechanism of anergy
Result of recruitment of phosphatases to the TCR complex or the activation of ubiquitin ligases that degrade signaling proteins.
GRAIL
- Gene Related to Anergy In Lymphocytes
- Targets components of CD3 for degradation in the proteasome, thus blocking TCR signalling and subsequent proliferation