Cellular immunity and histocompatibility Flashcards
What do T cells do better than any other cells?
They are able to identity the difference between foreign and self antigens
Where do T cells arise from?
In the bone marrow
Where do these primary precursor T cells go to? What do they do there?
To the thymus gland
Undergo maturation
Where is the thymus?
Sits just above the heart
When is the thymus largest? Why does it change in size?
Largest at birth
When you are youngest is when the immune system needs the most maturation so as you get older it become smaller
What do the primary precursor T cells do once it gets to the thymus? What is this stage of development called?
It begins to express CD4+ and CD8+ antigens
Double positive T cell development
What is unique about the early T cell development?
It is the only time when BOTH CD4 and CD8 cells are produced
What is the T cell called when it is found in the thymus gland
Immature thymocyte
What does the immature thymocyte do in the thymus?
It migrates through the thymus
What does the migration of immature thymocyte cause it to do?
Causes it to come into contact with lots of other cells, in particular MHC (major histocompatibility complex) class I and II molecules
As the immature thymocyte comes into contact with other cells what does this cause it to do?
Causes it to decide if it will become a CD4+ or CD8+ cell (FYI + indicates cell and CD4 and CD8 are the antigens)
What is CD4+ referred to as? What does it do?
The helper population
Provide cytokines that drive type of immune response necessary for the type of pathogen
What are the functional subsets of CD4 helper T cells? What do they do?
Treg (T cell regulator) - produces cytokines that suppress immune response
Th1 - produce cytokines that promote cell-mediated immunity (lots of T cell reactivity, not much antibody production)
Th2 - produces cytokines that promote antibody mediated immunity (lots of antibody production, not much T cell production)
Th17 - produces cytokines that drive inflammation
When would Th1 be activated? Why this type?
During a viral infection
Need more cell mediated immunity to fight virus not antibodies
When would Th2 be activated? Why this type?
During a bacterial viral infection
Need more antibodies to fight bacterial infection not cell mediated immunity
What is the balance of Th1 and Th2 during an immune response called? Under what circumstances is a mixture of both used?
Polarised immune response
Pretty much always, it is very rare for just Th1 or 2 to be activated, normally a mix
What are Th17 associated with?
Autoimmune diseases
What is the CD8 population known as?
A cytotoxic T cell
What are CD8 cells filled with? What does this make them good at?
Filled with enzymes such as perforin and granzyme B
Very good at killing cells that are not normal
What is the thymus referred to as?
A primary lymphoid organ
What do T cells come from in the bone marrow?
Hematopoietic stem cells
What is the state of T cells in the thymus at an early age?
Why is this?
Dead or dying
They have been neglected as they have not responded appropriately to the antigens in the body
What happens to the T cells that survive in the thymus?
They ‘learn’ to recognise self MHC molecules in thymus tissue KEY SLIDE