B CELLS AND HUMORAL Flashcards
Are B and T cells morphologically similar under a microscope?
- YES! can’t tell them apart
What is the name of an effector B cell?
- Plasma cells –> produces antibodies
When can the adaptive immune response be WELL detected?
- Not until day 6
What is a feature of plasma cell under the microscope?
- very HIGHLY developed ER
What is the lymphocyte clones with unique specificity INDEPENDENT of?
- Foreign antigen
- i.e. there will already be an antigen specific clone floating in peripheral lymphoid organs–> just have to find it
Is the immune response dependent on a foreign antigen?
- YES!
- Will actively find antigen specific clone
What types of antigens can a BCR recognsie?
- ALL different types of antigens (3D conformation) –> e.g. lipids, metals, carbs, proteins ,DNA
Which part of the BCR is the binding site?
- N terminus variable domains
What do the constant region of the heavy chains determine in B cells? -
- The antibody isotype
Humoral immunity is important for which type of microbes?-
- Exracellular microbes
What type of antibody is active against Helminths?
- IgE
What occurs in B cell deficiency?
- Person is susceptible to puss (pyogenic) forming bacteria (neutrophils)
Which type of response occurs in asthma?
- IgE response (sm. muscle contraction)
What are the two types of ANTIBODY responses?
- T cell dependent (high affinity Igs) and T cell independent (weak–> mainly IgM Igs and it is transient)
What is the function of T cell dependent antibodies ?
- Can target polysaccharide capsule that bacteria use to evade phagocytosis (via IgM) thus will phagocytose
What feature is given to ANTIGENS that promote independent Ig repsonses?
- They are polyvalent –> can cross link and BCR can give rise to strong signal e.g polysaccharides and nucleic acids
Do B or T cells express PRRs?
- B cells express them! NOT T CELLS !!
- Because B cells can recognise the whole 3D conformation whereas T cells only recognise digested peptides
Can PAMPs costimulate B cells in T cell independent Ig respone?
- YES!
- In this case SINGAL 1= BCR
and SIGNAL 2= PRR
Why don’t B cells illicit T cell help for polysaccharides and nucleic acids?
- Because T cells recognise ANTIGEN (the peptide) and not the whole structure of the nucleic acids or polysaccharides (bc. no peptides in them)
What occurs in a T cell dependent response?
- Isotype switching e.g. IgM –> IgG (on day 7)
Which day does the primary immune response peak?
- Day 14 (approx.)
What is affinity maturation?
- Quality of Ig (affinity to cognate antigen )
- Antibody affinity in second response generally higher than first response
What occurs in the first week and then after that of a T cell dependent Ig response ?
- First week: IgM produced
- After first week: Isotype switching IgM–> IgG, IgA
- Memory forms to allow for faster and larger immune response
Is the affinity of Ig produced in secondary Ig response higher or lower than first?
- HIGHER (via affinity maturation)
- Affinity of Ig produced and BCR increases with TIME and exposure to antigen (primary and secondary immune responses)
Why do TCRs not change affinity like BCR?
- Because T cells aren’t as free to ‘mutate’–> has to bind to MHC + peptide
Is B cell signalling homologous to T cell signalling?
- YES!
- Is homologous BUT identity of molecules is different
What does BOTH B and T cell signalling involve? -
- RECEPTOR TYROSINE KINASES –> phosphorylating ITAMs (cytoplasmic regions) –> P’d Adaptor and scaffold proteins–> membrane proximal complex–> enzymes and second messengers–> TFs –> new proteins and genes
Is the BCR cytoplasmic domain short or long?
- VERY SHORT
- so can’t transduce signals alone
Which two signalling chains help the BCR transduce the recognition signal?
- Igalpha and Igbeta (ITAM motifs in cytoplasmic domain)
What is the equivalent molecule of Igalpha and Igbeta in T cells?
CD3
What happens to the Igalpha and Igbeta in the signalling pathway?
- Get phosphorylated via tyrosine kinase (Fyn, Lyn, Blk)
- Create docking sites for signalling
Which 3 SRC family kinases can phosphorylate ITAMs of Igalpha and Igbeta? -
- Fyn, Lyn , Blk
What is the T cell equivalent of Fyn, Lyn, and Blk?
- Lck
What is the functional equivalent of Stk in T cells?
- ZAP70
What is the B cell coreceptor complex comprised of?
- CD21, CD19, CD81 (tetrospandin molecule)
How is complement involved in B cell signalling (signal 2) ?
- If C3D (complement) on antigen –> CD21 sends signal (via CD19) –> to LOWER threshold of signalling needed for B cell activation
(T cell equivalent is CD80/86-CD28)
What is upregulated in an activated B cell?
- B7 and MHC II for interaction with helper T cells
- Cytokine receptors
- Expression of CCR7 (migrate out of B cell follicle into T cell zone)
- Generation of plasma cells
- Expression of survival proteins
What is the germinal center reaction?
- B cells proliferate and differentiate (spleen and lymph node)
- T cell dependent Ig responses occur
- FDCs (Follicular Dendritic Cells) + TFH (T Follicular Helper cells) are involved
Do follicular dendritic cells present antigen ?
- NO
- They are parenchymal cells
Do you find germinal centre reactions for T cell independent antibody responses? -
- NO! Only for T cell dependent
What is the function of FDCs?
- Antigen depot
- Have intact antigen stuck to their surface (Fc and complement receptors) –> Intact antigen available for B cell to recognise and phagocytose
Where do antigen specific B cells acquire antigen from?
- FDCs- displayed antigen via BCR
What do TFH cells do?
- T helper cell
- in B cell follicles
- Driving isotype swtiching and affinity maturation
Which T cells do B cells present antigen to? -
- TFH cells
1. B cells get antigen from BCR (FDC source) –> endocytose digest and process antigen
2. Peptide fragments presented on MHC II TO TFH cell