Blood and Immune: Cellular Immunity and Histocompatibility Flashcards
Where do T lymphocytes mature
the thymus
where do the precursor of T cells get produced before migrating to the thymus
bone marrow
What is a thymocyte
Immature T cell found in the thymus
The coreceptors (cell surface markers) on a T cell
CD4+, CD8+ (or just CD4 and CD8)
What is the name for a T cell expressing both CD4 and CD8 on its surface
a double positive immature thymocyte
Name of T cells that only express CD4+
CD4+ helper T cells
Name of T cells that only express CD8+
CD8+ cytotoxic T cells
What % of T lymphocytes in blood are CD8+ + cytotoxic
20%
What % of T lymphocytes in blood are CD4+ helper
80%
The four subgroups of CD4 T helper cells
Treg, Th1, Th2, Th17
What is the function of Tregs
to regulate immune response
What is the function of Th1
drive cellular response
What is the function of Th2
drive antibody response (B cells)
What is the function of Th17
control inflammatory response
If a pathogen demands a cellular immune response, which T helper cell subgroup will predominate?
Th1
How are T cells distinguished
by their antigen (CD4 or CD8)
What is CD in CD4 and CD8
cluster differentiation
How can T cells be marked
by the monoclonal antibody that binds to the antigen CD4 or CD8
When is the thymus at its largest size and why
largest at birth then shrinks with age (cellular immune response developed before and just after birth)
What is the function of the thymus
Location where T cells are ‘educated’ to recognise self MHC molecules and where they become CD4 or CD8 (its important in immune response development)
Where is the thymus located
It sits at the top of the pericardium above the heart
Name of precursor to T lymphocytes
Hematopoietic lymphoid precursors
What is negative selection
when T cells die from “neglect”, have not recognised the correct antigen to activate and undergo mitosis
What is positive selection
Some cells recognise the correct antigen but are activated too strongly which are killed by apoptosis
What is Apoptosis
is a form of programmed cell death, or “cellular suicide
What happens to T cells that survive the thymus
“educated” to recognise self MHC molecules expressed in thymic tissue
What system is MHC important for
adaptive immune response/system
What type of pathogens are viruses
intracellular
Where do viruses replicate
inside cells
What do T cells do when they recognise infected cells
either kill them or provide help to other cells that reduce the ability of the virus to replicate and produce copies of itself which infect other cells
What does MHC stand for
Major Histocompatibility Complex
What is MHC
A set of highly polymorphic genes that code for Human Leukocyte Antigens on the cell surface