Blood and Immune Flashcards
What are the three functions of blood?
Transportation, Regulation and Protection
What are the two aspects of protection?
– Leakage control system: blood clotting -
– Immune system: surveillance circuit, white blood cells and antibody molecules.
What does blood regulate?
temperature, pH, salinity.
What does the blood transport?
oxygen, carbon dioxide, nutrients, heat, wastes, hormones.
What are the main percentages of the blood?
55% plasma, 45% formed elements
What makes up majority of formed elements?
RBCs
What are the proportions of white blood cells?
70% neutrophils,
22% lymphocytes
What are the proportions of plasma?
91.5% water
7% proteins
What are the proportions of plasma proteins?
- albumins 54%
* globulins 38% (immunoglobulin = antibody molecule)
Name the layers of a test tube of blood from most dense to least dense and floating on the top:
RBCs at bottom
thin buffy coat composed of WBCs and platelets
Plasma floating on top
red blood cells are filled with the red protein
hemoglobin
Describe structure of RBCs
RBCs are biconcave disk shaped cells, without nuclei or internal organelles
filled with the red protein hemoglobin, which binds oxygen
They have blood group antigens on their surface
They have an Fe2+ ion and a heme
What is a RBCs average lifetime?
120 days
Where do RBCs originate from?
Originate from myeloid stem cells in bone marrow - reticulocytes -
Explain the protein structure of haemoglobin
Hemoglobin has 4 chains
2 identical alpha 141aa
and 2 identical beta 146aa
Explain the protein structure of serum albumin
Serum Albumin has 585 amino acids in
a single chain
Explain the protein structure of Immunoglobulin
Immunoglobulin has
4 chains HHLL
2 identical heavy ~434aa
2 identical light ~213aa
How does O2 bind to haemoglobin?
4 amino acid chains each binds one O2 molecule, bound via an iron containing heme group.
What is serum albumin?
Main protein component of plasma
What is the role of serum albumin?
Serves as carrier for smaller molecules - eg. steroids, lipids, hormones, man-made drugs like aspirin etc.
What is the role of Immunoglobulins?
Key molecules for the immune system.
Can bind to all kinds of bacterium
What shape are antibody molecules?
Yshaped
Where does antigen binding occur?
at the tips of the arms of the Y
What is the diameter of RBCs?
8 micrometers
Why are RBCs red?
Because of the reddish Fe2+ ion
What is the accuracy of a micrometer?
accuracy about 10 microns
1 micron = x nanometers
1000 nano metre
1000 microns = x millimetre
1000 microns = 1 millimetre
Order from largest to smallest: WBC Virus Pollen Bacteria RBC
Pollen, White Blood Cell, Red Blood cell, Bacteria, Virus
What is lysozyme’s role?
Found in tears and kills bacteria
How many amino acids are found in lysozyme?
129 amin acids
O2 Blood concentration is
150mg/ml
O2 concentration within RBC is
340mg/ml
What is the concentration of serum albumin in the blood?
Concentration about 35mg/ml
What foreign molecules are bound to serum albumin and how many of them are present per protein molecule?
5 lipid molecules
What holds the heavy and light chains of the antibody molecule together?
COVALENT disulfide bonds
Are neutrophils granular or not granular?
granular (they have VISIBLE cytoplasmic granules)
Where are monocytes produced?
In the bone marrow
How long do monocytes circulate in the blood before migrating to capillary walls and into tissues to become macrophages?
5-8 days
Monocytes comprise about x% of total circulating blood leukocytes. What is x?
8%
What is the role of macrophages?
They can recognise more obvious features of commonly occurring infections, and can ingest and destroy infecting material
Macrophages can also can report infection to the centralised ‘immune memory’ system for future reference. by presenting or displaying the pathogen’s antigen on its cell surface.
What does HIV infect?
HIV infects a major class of T lymphocytes called T helper cells
What does HIV reduce the T helper cell concentrations to?
down from normal levels of about 1000/microlitre to 200/ μL
Lymphocytes comprise about x% of total circulating blood leukocytes. What is x?
25%
What is the role of T helper cells?
processing and storing information from possible infections, and responding rapidly in the event an infection is detected that has occurred before i.e. has been previously stored ‘in memory’.
What are the two types of cells that T helper cells can instruct other cells to take action?
B lymphocytes, which make antibody molecules, and
cytotoxic T lymphocytes, which can kill target cells.
How many chains does serum albumin have?
1 chain
What is the secondary structure of serum albumin?
alpha helical
What is the secondary structure of immunoglobin?
beta pleated sheets
Label the antibody diagram in your lecture guide
do it
What is an epitope?
the part of an antigen molecule to which an antibody attaches itself.
How much blood is in the human body? give a percentage
8% (roughly 5L for average 70kg male)
How much blood is in the human foetus?
300mL