8 - Cytokines and Soluble Immune Mediators Flashcards
What are cytokines?
Principal mediators of communication between cells of the immune system.
Cytokines are proteins produced and secreted by different cell types.
Cytokines and their receptors are products of _____ encoded genes.
Germ-line.
What happens when a Toll-like receptor interacts with a bacterial or viral molecule?
The TLR signals the activation of TF NFKB pathway and transcription of additional pro-inflammatory genes.
What cytokines are downstream of the pathogen encounter and NFKB activation?
Secretion of:
TNF-alpha
IL-1
IL-6
What causes a neutrophil influx after the pathogen encounter and NFKB activation?
G-CSF and GM-CSF: induce proliferation in the bone marrow
IL-8: chemotactic, calls in circulating PMNs
Chemokines
What is the function of chemokines?
Function in a cell-contact independent manner.
They form a gradient to which PMNs are attracted.
What do chemokines CC, CXC, and CX3C do?
Secreted by macrophages, epithelial, and endothelial cells to promote the migration of PMNs and other lineages into the site of infection.
Inconcert with TNF-alpha and IL-1, chemokines promote four stages of leukocyte extravastation. What are these stages?
- Rolling
- Integrin activation by chemokines
- Stable adhesion
- Migration through endothelium into ECM of tissue
Is T cell activation cell-contact dependent or independent?
Cell-cell contact dependent.
What is the function of IL-2 in T cell activation?
It’s a cytokine that provides autocrine, cell-contact independent pro-proliferative feedback to the Th cell producing it.
What are the defining cytokines that cause Treg cell differentiation?
TGF-beta and IL-10
What is the defining cytokine that cause Th1 cell differentiation? What does this cell type protect against?
IFN-gamma
Intracellular pathogens.
What are the defining cytokines that cause Th2 cell differentiation? What does this cell protect against?
IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13
Parasites (helminths)
What are the defining cytokines that cause Th17 cell differentiation? What does this cell type protect against?
IL-17 and IL-22
Extracellular pathogens
What are the APC derived signals that influence the differentiation of Th cells? What is the role of each?
IL-12: promotes Th expression of IFN-gamma (Th1)
TGF-beta: produced by many cell types, including APCs. Promotes development of Treg cells.
IL-10: promotes Treg pathway.