BIO exam 3 Flashcards
Innate Immunity
The body’s immediate defense mechanism against pathogens. It includes physical barriers like skin, mucous membranes, and cellular components such as macrophages and neutrophils.
Adaptive Immunity
A specific defense mechanism involving T and B lymphocytes that develop memory against specific pathogens, providing long-term protection.
Inflammation
The body’s response to injury or infection characterized by redness, swelling, heat, and pain. It aims to eliminate the cause and initiate tissue repair.
Lysozyme
An enzyme found in tears, saliva, and other bodily fluids that breaks down bacterial cell walls, providing protection against infections.
Defensins
Small proteins produced by various cells, including epithelial cells and phagocytes, involved in killing pathogens like bacteria, fungi, and viruses by disrupting their cell membranes.
Interferon (alpha, beta, gamma)
Signaling proteins released by infected cells to inhibit viral replication and enhance the immune response against viruses.
Complement
A group of proteins that enhance the ability of antibodies and phagocytic cells to clear microbes and damaged cells from an organism, involving various pathways.
Opsonins & Opsonization
Substances (like antibodies or complement proteins) that mark pathogens for phagocytosis, facilitating their engulfment by immune cells.
Zymogen
An inactive precursor of an enzyme that requires a biochemical change to become active, often involved in digestive processes or blood clotting.
Alternative, Classical, and Lectin (Complement pathways)
Different activation routes of the complement system that lead to the formation of the membrane attack complex, enhancing immune responses against pathogens
C3 (and C3B)
C3 is a central component of the complement system. When cleaved into C3a and C3b, C3b participates in opsonization and leads to the formation of the membrane attack complex.
Complement “Factors”
Various proteins (such as Factor D, Factor H, etc.) involved in the complement cascade, playing roles in activation, regulation, and amplification of the immune response.
Membrane Attack Complex
A group of complement proteins that form pores in the membranes of target cells, leading to cell lysis and destruction, often employed against pathogens.
Chemotaxis
The process where immune cells are attracted to the site of infection or tissue damage through chemical signals, guiding their movement.
Anaphylatoxins
Small complement proteins (like C3a, C4a, and C5a) that induce inflammatory responses, including mast cell degranulation and histamine release.
Serum
The liquid portion of blood without clotting factors or blood cells, containing antibodies, complement proteins, and other molecules essential for immune function.
Buffy coat
A thin layer of white blood cells and platelets that separates from the rest of the blood when centrifuged, containing various immune cells.
Leukocytes
White blood cells crucial for immune function, including granulocytes (neutrophils, eosinophils, basophils) and agranulocytes (lymphocytes, monocytes).
Lymphocytes
A type of white blood cell critical for adaptive immunity, including B cells, T cells, and natural killer (NK) cells.
Hematopoietic stem cell
A precursor cell found in the bone marrow capable of giving rise to all types of blood cells, including red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets.
Myeloid
The lineage of blood cells that includes red blood cells, platelets, monocytes, neutrophils, eosinophils, basophils, and dendritic cells.
Granulocytes
White blood cells with granules in their cytoplasm, including neutrophils, eosinophils, and basophils, involved in various immune responses.
Neutrophils (PMNs)
The most abundant type of white blood cell involved in phagocytosis of pathogens, particularly bacteria.
Eosinophils
White blood cells containing granules that are important in combating multicellular parasites and modulating allergic reactions.
Basophils
White blood cells containing granules that release histamine, involved in allergic reactions and defense against parasites.
Monocytes
A type of white blood cell that circulates in the bloodstream and can differentiate into macrophages or dendritic cells.
Macrophages
Large immune cells that engulf and digest cellular debris, foreign substances, microbes, and cancer cells.
T cells
White blood cells that mature in the thymus and play a central role in cell-mediated immunity, including helper, cytotoxic, and regulatory T cells.
B cells
White blood cells that mature in the bone marrow and produce antibodies, playing a crucial role in the humoral immune response.
NK cells
Natural Killer cells, a type of lymphocyte that plays a critical role in the innate immune response by killing infected or abnormal cells.
Dendritic cells
Antigen-presenting cells that process and present antigens to T cells, initiating the adaptive immune response.
Phagocytosis
The process by which cells engulf and digest foreign particles, pathogens, and cell debris.
Respiratory burst
A rapid release of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by immune cells, such as neutrophils and macrophages, during phagocytosis to destroy ingested pathogens.
CD4 (Helper)
A glycoprotein found on the surface of helper T cells that interacts with MHC class II molecules, aiding in the activation of immune responses.
CD8 (Cytotoxic)
A glycoprotein found on the surface of cytotoxic T cells that interacts with MHC class I molecules, facilitating the killing of infected or abnormal cells.
Clonal selection theory
A theory explaining the adaptive immune system’s response to antigens, suggesting that specific lymphocytes are activated upon encountering a matching antigen.
Positive & Negative selection
Processes in the thymus ensuring T cells recognize self-antigens without causing autoimmune reactions (positive) and eliminating those that strongly react against self-antigens (negative).
Self-tolerance
The immune system’s ability to recognize and tolerate the body’s own cells and molecules to prevent autoimmune reactions.
Cytokines
Signaling molecules produced by various immune cells to regulate immunity, inflammation, and communication among cells in the immune system.
Interleukins
A group of cytokines primarily produced by leukocytes that regulate immune and inflammatory responses.
Chemokines
A subset of cytokines that specifically regulate the migration and activation of immune cells, involved in directing immune responses to sites of infection or injury.
T cell receptor
Proteins on the surface of T cells that recognize specific antigens presented by MHC molecules on antigen-presenting cells.
Major Histocompatibility Complex - MHC
A set of genes encoding cell surface proteins essential for the immune system’s recognition of foreign molecules.
Human Leukocyte Antigen - HLA
A group of genes encoding for MHC molecules in humans, crucial for immune system function and responsible for tissue compatibility in transplantation.
Co-stimulation
The secondary signal required by T cells, in addition to the recognition of antigen, to become fully activated and initiate an immune response.
Antibodies (Immunoglobulins)
Proteins produced by B cells that recognize and bind to specific antigens, marking them for destruction or neutralization.
IgA, IgE, IgD, IgG, IgM
Different classes of antibodies (immunoglobulins) with distinct roles in the immune system, such as IgA in mucosal immunity, IgE in allergic responses, etc.
Fab and Fc
Regions of an antibody structure; Fab binds to antigens while Fc mediates various effector functions like complement activation or binding to immune cells.
Ig domain
A conserved structural domain present in various proteins, including antibody molecules, involved in protein-protein interactions.
Fc receptor
Cell surface proteins that bind to the Fc region of antibodies, mediating various immune responses based on the antibody class.
Antigen
A molecule that elicits an immune response, recognized by specific antibodies or T cell receptors.
Epitope
The specific portion of an antigen that is recognized by an antibody or T cell receptor.
Antigen presentation (Antigen presentation cell)
The process by which antigens are displayed on the surface of cells, facilitating their recognition by T cells.
Plasma cell
A differentiated B cell that produces and secretes large amounts of antibodies.
Thymus
A primary lymphoid organ where T cells mature and differentiate.
Spleen
A secondary lymphoid organ that filters blood, removes old or damaged red blood cells, and helps mount immune responses.
Mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT)
Lymphoid tissue found in mucosal membranes, such as in the digestive and respiratory tracts, involved in immune responses at mucosal surfaces.
Vaccine
A preparation that stimulates the immune system to produce immunity to a specific disease, typically by introducing antigens from the pathogen.
Attenuated vaccine
A vaccine containing weakened forms of pathogens that can stimulate an immune response without causing the disease.
Adjuvant
A substance added to vaccines to enhance the immune response and improve their effectiveness.
