Angela's Immunotherapy Flashcards
What cells are inherent to innate immunity?
NK cells, Macrophages and dendritic cells
What is the role of NK cells?
Lymphocytes that recognize and destroy stressed tissues (e.g., by viruses or cancer)
What is the role of Macrophages?
Production of soluble cytokines and chemokines that support growth and survival of inflammatory cells
Which immune cell secretes IL-1?
Macrophages; IL-1 is pro-inflammatory
What Macrophage activities promotes tumor growth?
Macrophages secrete pro angiogenesis molecules (VEGF and basic FGF) and can secrete immunosuppressant cytokines/molecules (prostaglandins E2 and arginase I, and TGF-B)
What is the role of Dendritic cells?
Professional antigen presenting cells, link between Adaptive and Innate immunity.
What are the two major cell types in the adaptive immune system?
T and B lymphocytes
What is the primary role of T-cells?
Antigen recognition, when complexed with an antigen presented by antigen presenting molecules
What is the primary role of B-cells?
Produce and Secrete antibodies that recognize soluble and cell surface molecules
What immune cells are most responsible for antibody secretion?
Plasma cells, which are the most mature form of B cell
What is a plasma cell?
The most mature B-cell, responsible for copious antibody production
What is an Fv region and where is it located?
The variable fragment of an immunoglobulin that is specific to the antigen. Located in the Fab domain of immunoglobulins.
What is an Fc region and what is its function?
The constant region of an immunoglobulin where antibody class and sub class are determined
What is the most prevalent immunoglobulin type secreted in response to non-protein antigens?
IgM. IgM is a pentameric antibody that effects complement. IgM is synthesized early in the immune response
What is complement and what is it’s function?
Blood component with enzymatic properties, Results in opsonization and is recognized by complement receptors on macrophages, monocytes, neutrophils, and dendritic cells with subsequent activation of the cells leading to phagocytosis and killing.
Additionally, complement can form a membrane attack complex, resulting in complement dependent cytotoxicity.
Complement is a system of plasma proteins that can be activated directly by pathogens or indirectly by pathogen-bound antibody, leading to a cascade of reactions that occurs on the surface of pathogens and generates active components with various effector functions.
3 main functions:
1) the activation of inflammation
2) the opsonization (labeling) of pathogens and cells for clearance/destruction
3) the direct killing of target cells/microbes by lysis