B4 Innate vs. Adaptive Immunity Flashcards
What is the difference between antigens and immunogens?
Antigens - anything that can bind to an antibody.
Immunogens- anything that can illicit an immune response after binding to an antibody.
What is the difference between different epitope structures in antibodies?
Variable regions
What is ‘Fab’ on antibody molecular models?
Combination of light chains
What is ‘Fc’ on antibody molecular models?
Combination of heavy chains
What is affinity of antibodies?
How good the binding site is for binding antigens
What is avidity of antibodies?
How much more effectively you bind things with more receptors
Why is there a hinge in the structure of antibodies?
To change and give extreme flexibility of the structure
What are the four ways that allow for an infinite number of different antibodies?
Germ line diversity of genes
Combinatorial Diversity
Junctional Diversity
Somatic Hypermutation
What are the components of somatic recombination?
Combinatorial diversity
Junctional diversity
When does somatic hypermutation occur?
During an ongoing immune response
What is somatic recombination?
Joining together lots of different portions of genes that we already have in different orders
What is the term for changing the function of antibody when it gets to the site of infection and realises it has to do something else?
Class switching
What allows for class switching?
Somatic hypermutation
Cytokines
Why does clonal selection exist?
We can’t afford to have one gene for each antibody
True or false? Cytokines can induce class switching?
True
What is positive selection?
If you pass each checkpoint, you survive and divide.
What is negative selection?
If you fail a check point you get killed off.
How many T cells die in the thymus via negative selection?
98%
True or false? B cells and T cells recognise the same part of the antigen?
False
B cells use Ab
T cells use TCR
How do B cells recognise antigens?
Ab to recognise their complementary conformational epitopes
How do T cells recognise antigens?
TCR to recognise linear epitopes or enzymatically digested bits from B cell antigen processing
What is central tolerance?
How newly developing T cells and B cells are rendered non-reactive to self
What is the purpose of MHC molecules?
To identify small fragments of antigens and shuttle them out to the surface
What is co-stimulation?
Adding another checkpoint for B lymphocytes
Why is co-stimulation necessary?
This ensures that when a B cell phagocytoses something, it doesn’t immediately get to make antibodies for it.
What signals do highly immunosuppressive drugs block?
BCR and TCR
What triggers co-stimulation?
Innate system fine discrimination
What are the four steps of the infection pathway?
- Infection has to establish in face of innate response
- Induction of adaptive response
- Reduce/sterilise infection
- Immunological memory
What type of cell is the effector cell of the dermis?
Phagocytic
What protein is responsible for opsinization?
C3b
What is the role of C3b?
Opsonisation
MAC
Recruitment of inflammatory cells
What is MAC?
Membrane Attack Complex
How does MAC work?
Forms perforations in cell membrane resulting in cell lysis
What is degradation?
Breaking down the whole pathogen/antigen into genetic fragments
What is diapedeis?
Movement of while blood cells through intact capillary walls into surrounding tissue.
What is another term for diapedesis?
Leukocyte extravasatio
Migration
What are dendritic cells?
Very specialised phagocytes that can return to lymph nodes with information about infections
What are Langerhan cells?
APCs/ Dendritic cells of skin and mucosa
What do Langerhan cells contain?
Birbeck granules
Where are Langerhan cells most abundant in the skin?
Stratum spinosum
What is the role of dendritic cells?
Turn on T cell responses
Sense the environment
Make a range of cytokines to influence T cell differentiation