2C Cells and the Immune System Flashcards
Why is HIV so deadly?
The body cannot detect it as it is in our body cells
What is an antigen?
Any part of an organism (often proteins found on the surface) that is recognised and foreign by our immune system
What are antigens controlled by?
Genes
Why are organ transplants usually taken from family members?
Antigens are genetically controlled therefore your family will have similar antigens, making it less likely for the organ to be rejected
How many immune systems are there in our bodies?
2
What are the two immune systems in our bodies called?
- -> Non-specific
- -> Specific
Which immune system do all animals have?
Non-specific
Which immune system do only vertebrates have?
Specific
What is the nonspecific immune system like?
- Immediate response
- Physical barriers
- Phagocytosis (as this is the same for all responses)
What is the specific immune system like?
- Slower response
- B and T lymphocytes
Name 3 barriers to infection
- Skin
- Hydrochloric acid
- Epithelial mucus
How does the skin protect our body from infection?
Pathogens find it difficult to penetrate
How does HCL protect our body from infection?
Denatures enzymes or coat proteins of most pathogens
How does Epithelial mucus protect our body from infection?
Epithelial layers inside the body produce mucus that pathogens stick to + become immobilised
What is a Phagosome?
Where the pathogen in broken down in a phagocyte, the pathogen is transported by vesicles
What is a Lysozyme?
Enzymes found in Lysosomes
Why are T lymphocytes called T lymphocytes?
They mature in the Thymus gland
What is cell mediated immunity?
The pathogen must be present for T lymphocytes to be made
How do T lymphocytes identify specific antigens?
They have receptor proteins on each cell that can detect one specific antigen
How many different types of T cells are there?
10^8 - each of these display different receptors
What are the two forms of T cells?
- Helper T cells (Th cells)
- Cytotoxic T cells (Tc cells)
What is an antigen presenting cell?
A cell that presents antigens on its surface
Which cells have antigens on the surface?
- Cancerous cells
- non-self cells
What happens after a phagocyte has destroyed the pathogen?
The phagocyte present the antigens on their outer membrane
What is the role of a Tc cell?
- Produces the perforin protein
- Make holes in cell surface membrane
- Results in cell death
What are the 4 things activated T cells can do?
- Divide via mitosis to produce Th cell clones
- Release cytokines to activate Tc cells
- Activate B cells
- Stimulate phagocytosis
What do receptors on T cells bind to?
Antigens on antigen-presenting cells
What is humoral immunity?
- Involves antibodies
- Specific immune response
- B cells
What are B cells?
A type of white blood cell
Covered with antibodies which bind antigens to form an antigen-antibody complex
Which type of cells are involved in humoral immunity?
B cells
Which type of cells are involved in cell mediated immunity?
T cells
B lymphocytes are also known as what
B cells
What are the first 4 stages of humoral immunity?
1 - B cell with complementary antibody engulfs pathogen
2 - B cell presents antigen
3 - Th cell binds to the presented antigen using its complementary receptor protein
4 - Activates B cell to divide
What is the primary response in humoral immunity?
5 - Plasma cell clones made to secrete antibodies 6 - Attach to antigens and: - agglutinate (stick to target) - Stop pathogens invading body cell - Bind to free toxin proteins
What is the secondary response in humoral immunity?
7 - Memory cells made, circulate in the blood for future infections
Active immunity = ?
immoral imunity
What is the structure of an antibody?
Composed of 4 polypeptide chains and makes a y shaped structure
What are the polypeptide chains in antibodies like?
There are 4:
- 2 light
- 2 heavy
What are the polypeptide chains in antibodies joined by?
Disulfide bonds
Describe the Y shaped structure of an antibody
- The stem = constant region
- End of arms = variable regions that bind to the antigen
What is a monoclonal antibody?
Antibodies produced from a single group of genetically identical B cells (plasma cells) specific to one type of antigen
Why are the B cells in monoclonal antibodies genetically identical?
- They have the same primary structure as they are coded by the same genes
- As a result have the same secondary + tertiary structure
How are monoclonal antibodies produce (3 stages)?
FINISH WRITING THIS FROM TEXTBOOK
- The specific antigen binds to the receptor on the B cell
2. A helper T cell sends out a chemical signal to activate the B cell which then releases specific
Which animal do we use to produce antibodies for monoclonal antibodies?
Mice - they are small but produce the right antibodies
What makes it easier to produce monoclonal antibodies to bind to specific molecules?
- They all have the same tertiary structure
- They therefore all bind to a specific antigen with a complementary shape
What are the unique antigens on cancer cells called?
Tumor markers
What are the drugs called that can be used to bind to the tumor markers on cancer cells?
Anticancer drugs
Why are the side effects reduced from anticancer drugs?
- The drugs will only accumulate at specific cells
- The drugs will only be released where antibody binding occurs
What hormone is produced when a woman is pregnant and can be detected in their urine?
hCG
Explain how a pregnancy test works.
- The hormone hCG is released in a pregnant woman’s urine
- Monoclonal antibodies are immobilised in coloured beads on a test strip
- When urine is applied hCG will attach to antibodies to form an antigen-antibody-colour complex
- hCG antigen-antibody-colour complex moves along the strip until it is trapped by a different antibody
- Complex accumulates to produce a line - confirms pregnancy
What is an ethical issue of using mice to produce antibodies?
You are giving cancer to mice, effectively killing them
What is an ethical issue with drug trials?
They’re not always safe - one trial, within 6 minutes 6 participants went into multiple organ failure despite all previous testing showing no signs of damage
What are the 5 stages of cell-mediated immunity?
1 - Pathogens invade body cells or are taken on by phagocytes
2 - The phagocyte places antigens from the pathogen on its cell-surface membrane
3 - Receptors on a specific helper T cell (Th cell) fit exactly onto these antigens
4 - This attachment activates the T cell to divide rapidly via mitosis + form a clone of genetically identical cells
5 - There are cloned T cells which have individual roles
In the 5th stage of cell mediated immunity, what are the 4 roles the cloned T cells can have?
- Develop into memory cells (enable rapid response to future infections by the same pathogen)
- Stimulate phagocytes to engulf pathogens via phagocytosis
- Stimulate B cells to divide + secrete their antibody
- Activate cytotoxic T cells (Tc cells)
When does the primary immune response happen?
When new pathogens first invade the body
During the primary response, how many initial specific T and B cells are there?
Very few, there are also relatively few clones produced