Autoimmunity and immunodeficiency Flashcards
what is autoimmunity
when the own body’s components are seen as a pathogen
what is immunodeficiency
a suppression of the immune system, such as medically induced.
there are situation when the immune system needs to be damped down e.g. when transplant patient is put on powerful immuno suppressants/drugs, or can be born with immunodeficiency or can acquire it
when can a person have immunodeficiency
when the immune system needs to be damped down e.g. when transplant patient is put on powerful immuno suppressants/drugs, or can be born with immunodeficiency or can acquire it e.g. via AIDS
what is the difference between the antigens in hypersensitivity and autoimmunity
- hypersensitivity - the antigens which the immune system respond to are extraneous, e.g. pollen grains causes a typical allergic fashion
- autoimmunity - its our own body’s components which are seen as foreign and antigenic, so the immune system is responding against itself
what does the bodies self tolerance mechanism distinguish and what for
between self and non-self, to avoid autoimmunity
what does the self tolerance mechanism by the body breakdown with
the production of autoantibodies and auto reactive T-cells
what do autoimmune mechanisms target
a variety or organs and tissues and underlie many diseases
what two types of autoimmune diseases are there
- organ specific
or - systemic (effects whole body)
where to T cells from the bone marrow go to
the thymus
what do T cells become in the thymus
matured into fully functional T cells and acquire their T cell receptor which is either a CD4 or CD8 receptor which determines whether they are T helper cells or T cytotoxic cells
how does the process in the thymus = self tolerance
the thymus shows the immature T cells e.g. MHC proteins in our body’s tissues to lymphocytes, & any lymphocyte that responds to them is immediately eradicated
what are many autoimmune diseases associated with
anterior & posterior uveitis
name some autoimmune diseases which are more prevalent in women
- Graves disease (hyperthyroid)
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (hypothyroid)
which type of diabetes is an autoimmune disease
type 1
which type of thyroid is not an autoimmune disease
type 2
which types of hypersensitivity mechanisms are involved with autoimmune diseases
types, 2, 3 & 4
which types of hypersensitivity mechanisms are involved in organ-specific
types, 2 & 4
which type of hypersensitivity mechanism is involved in non organ-specific autoimmune disorders
SLE type 3 reactions (deposition in immune complex mediated) predominate
what are the three ways in which diseases cause tissue destruction
- complement activation by autoantibodies
- autoantibody recognition of self antigens
- auto reactive T cell recognition of self antigens
how does a disease cause tissue destruction via complement activation by autoantibodies
cells are targeted by autoantibodies
the antibody which is binding to some cell surface proteins & in doing so, activates the complement pathway which can cause cell lysis/breakdown
they are there to protect us as they breakdown bacterial cell walls, but can also damage tissues
the complement system attracts phagocytes to the inflammatory region
how does a disease cause tissue destruction via autoantibody recognition of self antigens
formation of immune complexes = cell antigen combining with the antibody & when present in excess, they deposit in cell tissues or blood vessel walls, lungs, kidneys etc
how does a disease cause tissue destruction via auto reactive T cell recognition of self antigens
cell mediated reactions
T cells are involved with surveillance e.g. looking for tumour cells & virally infected cells and are able to destroy these cells, but in the case of autoimmunity, they can damage our own cells
which factors play a role in the development of autoimmunity
genetic
autoimmune diseases tend to be associated with particular HLA specificies (i.e. inherit specific HLA/MHC proteins)
what is the major histocompatibility complex (MHC)
a gene locus that codes for histocompatibility antigens
present on every cell with a nucleus so not on red blood cells
what are histocompatibility antigens
cell surface glycoproteins that play important roles in interactions amongst immune cells
where are class 1 gene products found
on all nucleated cells
what do class 1 gene products participate in
antigen presentation to cytotoxic T cells (CD8+ve)
what are class 2 products found on
antigen presenting cells e.g. macrophages, have T 2 MHC proteins
what do class 2 products participate in
antigen presentation to T helper cells (CD4+ve)
what is the MHC locus designated in humans
in the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) locus
but is found on lots of cells, not just on leukocytes, its known as HLA as it first first studied on white blood cells
where is HLA locus found
on the short arm of chromosome 6
what does the class 1 region of HLA consist of
HLA A B and C loci/proteins with subdivisions within those
what does the class 2 region of HLA consist of
divided into HLA-DP
DQ
and DR sub regions
they are particular types of protein and very variable, e.g. they must match HLA proteins with a donor & a host for e.g. an organ transplant)
what type of structure is HLA antigens
highly polymorphic with multiple allelic forms which differ from one person to another
eg HLA DR2, HLA DR4, HLA B27
what are HLA antigens important for
the ability of the T cells to differentiate between self and non-self (HLA antigens not possessed by an individual are seen as foreign)
what do class 1 proteins interact with and which in particular
interact with T cell receptors, particularly cytotoxic T helper cell receptors as they are proteins which show antigens to the immune system
what does the pocket of a class 1 protein hold
the antigen & shows it to the immune system i.e. immune surveillance