Adaptive Flashcards
What are some imporatant clinical roles for T cells?
- High level of T cell activation (autoimmune diseases)
- Low level of CD4+ T cells (HIV and AIDS)
- Supression of T cells (successful organ transplant)
- T cell activation by bacterial toxin (toxic shock syndrome)
- T cell activation in immunotherapy of cancer
- Immunosupression in graft acceptance
What is the role of IL-17?
Stimulation of acute inflammation
Is CD28-B7 interaction only useful for CD4+ T cell differentation?
No, CD8+ T cell differentiation is also dependent on CD28-B7 interaction for clonal expansion
Where do most plasma cells reside?
Bone Marrow
Are positive and negative selection during T cell maturation all-or-nothing reactions?
No, positive and negative selection only keep molecules with “low to moderate affinity”. No or low affinity and very high affinity T cells are deleted (risk of auto-reactivity)
Which etiological agent is most commonly associated with infectious mononucleosis (mono)?
Epstein Barr Virus (EBV)
What is the initial screening lab you should consider when faced with possible immune deficiency?
Complete blood count (CBC) with differential (number and morphology of cells)
What is the role of CD3 proteins in T cell stimulation?
CD3 proteins are closely associated with TCR and cytoplasmic tails contain immunoreceptor tyrsoine-based activation motifs (ITAMs) that will activate signals within T cell
What is Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome?
- X-linked recessive disease, defective antigen presentation
- Abnormal platelets, eczema, recurrent infection
What are the 3 main types of mature B cells?
- Follicular B cells- most mature B cells, lypmh node and spleen follicles
- Marginal-zone B cells- found in margins of slpenic follicles
- B1 lymphocytes- lymphoid organs and peritoneal cavity
Where in the body does antigen presentation occur?
The lymph nodes and the spleen
What is the difference btw Humoral and Cell-mediated Immunity?
- Humoral: mediated by B cells, blocks infections and eliminates extracellular microbes
- Cell-mediated: medaited by T cells, eliminates phagocyotsed microbes (CD4+) and kills infected cells and elimates reservoirs of infection (CD8+)
What are the 4 main antibodies and their key function(s)?
What is the role of CD40 ligand in T cell activation?
Activated T helper cell presents ligand to B cell and binds CD40, which:
- Promotes B cells to proliferate (plasma cell formation)
- Increases costimulation by increasing CD28 expression
- Increases macrophage activity and TNF release
What are the different functions of major APCs after antigen presentation?
- DC- initiation of T cell responses to protein antigens
- Macrophage- effector phase of cell-mediated immune response
- B Lymphocytes- CD4+ T helper cells in humoral immune responses (Tcell-Bcell interactions)
What are the three main types of antigen presentation?
- Extracellular/surface
- Multi-molecular
- Multi-cellular
Where is IgD mostly found?
- Found on surface of newly matured B cells
Why is co-stimulation required to activate T cells?
- TCR binds a peptide:MHC complex to recognize antigen
- CD28 binds B7 in order to increase expression of costimulators and secretion of cytokines
What is the significance of the germinal center?
- Activated B/T cells migrate back into follicle
- B cells undergo somatic mutation and isotype switching
- High-affinity B cells selected
- Long-lived plasma cells and memore B cells
What are the three types of dendritic cells?
- Conventional DCs- CD11b/c high; secretes TNFalpha, IL6, IL12
- Plasmacytoid DCs- B220 high, secretes IFNs
- Follicular DCs
When do dendritic cells mature?
After antigen capture and activation, when they are in migration to the lymph node.
Where is IgE mostly found?
- Cause the body to react with foreign substances (allergies)
- Located in the lungs, skin, and mucous membranes
How many antibodies can a B cell express?
One, in order to make each B cell specific
What are the 2 main ways T helper cells assist cytotoxic T cells?
- Attach to APC and directly produce cytokines that stimulate CTL differentiation
- Attach to APCs and enhance APC ability to stimulate CTL differentiation
What are the two important processes of “thymic education”?
- MHC Restriction- positive selection from cortical thymic epithelial cells (those that do not react are killed)
- Self Tolerance- negative selection from medulla thymic epithelial cells (those that do react are killed)
What is role of TLRs in B cells?
Provide cell-intrinsic mechanism for innate signals regulating adaptive immune responses
What is DiGeorge Syndrome?
- Also known as thymic aplasia
- May have heart defects, low calcium, T cell deficiency (classic triad)
- Typically due to 22q11 deletion and failure to develop pharyngeal pouches
What are the three main types of antigen processing?
- Intracellular
- MHC 1 (intrinsic)
- MHC 2 (extrinsic)
What are the 4 main adaptive immune system lymphocytes?
(Hint: 1B and 3T)
- B lymphocyte- Neutralization of microbe, phagocytosis, complement activation
- Helper T lymphocyte- Activation of macrophages, inflammation, and activation of B/T lymphocytes
- Cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL)-Killing of infected cell (apoptosis through cytolytics)
- Regulatory T lymphocyte- Suppression of immune response
What is a double negative (DN) thymocyte?
An early/immature thymocyte that lacks TCR and CD4/CD8 expression. It will up-regulate expression after TCR gene arrangement
What is the only cell in the human body that makes antibody?
Plasma Cell (mature B cell)
How are Th1 and Th2 differentiation inhibited?
- Th1 differentiation is inhibited by IL-4 and IL-10 (from Th2)
- Th2 differentiation is inhibited by IFNgamma (from Th1)
What is the differentiation and role of Th17 cells?
- Differentiation requires IL-6 and TGFbeta
- Release cytokines IL-17 and IL-22
- Plays a role in protection against bacterial and fungal infections (epithelial barrier)
- Neutrophilic and monocytic recruitment
- Organ-specific autoimmunity
What is a naive T cell?
A single-positive (CD4 or CD8) thymocyte that has left the thymus, but is “resting” (unactivated)