Advanced immunology Flashcards
what are the 9 functions of Fc receptors?
- clearance of immune complexes
- phagocytosis (antigen presentation) (FcyRI)
- production of cytokines
- antibody dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC)
- modulation of cellular activation
- mast cell degranulation (FcE, food allergies)
- generation of high affinity antibodies
- prevents autoimmunity by forming a late auto-immune checkpoint (FcyRIIb, peripheral tolerance)
- transportation/recycling of Ig (IgG; FcRn and plgR; IgA and IgM)
what is ITAM and ITIM?
immune receptor tyrosine based activating/inhibitory motif, signalling of Fcy receptors depends on it
name the 3 factors that influence FcR mediated signal output
- glycosylation
- polymorphisms and copy number variation
- expression level
what is the function of FcaR of IgA?
mediate phagocytosis, endocytosis, ADCC and respiratory burst and is expressed by myeloid cells
what treatment is used to target FcR in autoimmune diseases?
Intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIg)
what is the definition of epigenetics?
heritable changes in gene function that cannot be explained by changes in DNA sequence
name the 2 key players of regulating gene expression
- transcription factors
- gene regulatory elements
name the 4 epigenetic mechanisms
- DNA methylation
- nucleosome positioning
- histone modification
- 3D genome folding
name the 4 reasons where gene regulation and epigenetics is essential for
- immune system diversity
- immunological memory
- efficient clearing of chronic viral infections and cancer
- pathogens to propagate and persist
what are the 3 functions of transcription factors?
transduce signals to the chromatin, control immune cell diversification and immune cell development
what is genomic imprinting?
- DNA methylation; add methyl-group to cytosine to reduce binding of transcription factors to result in inactivating gene and low gene expression
- imprinted genes are involved in embryonic growth
name the 5 outcomes of epigenetic mechanisms
- differentiation
- activation
- proliferation
- apoptosis
- transformation
what is 3D genome folding?
it shapes effective adaptive immunity, misfolding causes developmental syndromes
true or false? chromatin dictates DNA accessibility
true
what is the function of epigenetics?
creates cellular diversity from identical DNA by shaping gene expression patterns in response to external and internal signals
what is signal transduction?
any process by which a cell converts one kind of signal or stimulus into another, involving ordered sequences of biochemical reactions inside the cell
how do signalling proteins interact with eachother and with lipid signalling molecules?
via modular protein domains
how does signal transduction occur?
through a kinase cascade or second messengers
what are the 3 outcomes when a signal reaches its target?
- gene transcription
- cytoskeleton
- metabolism
how do signalling proteins recruit to the plasma membrane?
- by binding to phosphorylated sites on a membrane-associated protein
- recognition of activated small G proteins
- by binding to membrane lipids
what are the 3 stages of signal transduction?
- signal perception
- intracellular signal transduction
- cellular response
name 3 chemical messengers
- enzymes
- second messengers
- linkers