19: Transplant Immunology Flashcards
Alloantigens
Antigen which varies between members of the same species
Alloreactions
Immune responses directed against alloantigens
Immunogenetics
A subfield of immunology devoted to the genetics of alloantigens
Autograft
Graft of tissue from one site to another site on the same individual
Syngeneic graft (isograft)
Graft of tissue from one person to another person that is genetically identical
Allogeneic transplant (allograft)
Graft of tissue from one person to another person that is genetically different
Transplant rejection
Alloreactions developed by a recipient’s immune system that are specific for grafted tissue
Graft vs. host reaction
Reaction mounted by mature T cells contained in grafted tissue against tissues of the recipient
Zenograft
Graft between two individuals of different species
Transplantation of tissues requires solutions to what 3 basic problems?
- Transplant must be able to perform its basic function
- Health of the donor/recipient must be maintained during surgery
- Immune system must be prevented from mounting adaptive immune responses that destroy the grafted tissue
Immune responses mounted by a recipient that are directed at transplanted tissues are caused by ___________.
Genetic differences between the donor and the recipient (i.e differential expression of HLA)
What is the easiest and most commonly used transplantation procedure?
Blood transfusion
Why are the alloantigens that cause most transplant rejections not a problem for blood transfusions?
RBCs don’t express MHC class I or MHC class II molecules
What would happen if a person who has type O blood receives a transfusion of type A or type B blood?
- The person’s anti-A or anti-B antibodies will bind to the transfused RBCs
- This results in complement activation and rapid clearance of the transfused RBCs
- Results in fever, chills, shock, renal failure, and sometimes death
Why is everyone tolerant to O antigen?
Structurally, A and B antigens are just O antigen with something added on, so there’s nothing for people to be intolerant to on O.
T or F: People that do not express RhD will not have antibodies specific for RhD in their circulation
T
What are 2 theories for why a fetus isn’t treated like an allograft and rejected during pregnancy?
- Placenta may serve as a partial barrier to the mother’s T cells. It’s a fetal tissue and it lacks expression of MHC class I molecules
- Placenta and uterine epithelium produce TH2 cytokines, which tend to promote antibody responses while suppressing T cell-mediated responsiveness