Chapter 1- Elements of the Immune System Flashcards
Immune
When a person is resistant to infection after being exposed
Immune system
The tissues, cells, and molecules involved in defending the body against pathogens
Immunity
The ability to resist a specific infection. For this to happen, the immune system needs to fight off the pathogen. Children are at the highest risk when they are infected by a microorganism for the first time
Vaccination
Administering killed or nonpathogenic forms of a pathogens, or its proteins, to induce an immune response. The vaccinated person develops protective immunity against the pathogen
Commensal microorganisms
Organisms that live on or in the human body. Normally they don’t cause harm and can be beneficial. They constitute around 4.5 kg of the body’s weight
Microbiota
The commensal microorganisms, which live in the skin, mouth, gut, and vagina. Different ecological niches in the body have different microbiota. Animals co-evolve with their commensal species and become tolerant of and dependent on them. In humans, these organisms process digested food and make vitamins. They also protect against disease by preventing the colonization of pathogens
Colicins
Antibacterial proteins secreted by E. coli. E. coli is a major component of the gut microbiota. It secretes colicins to incapacitate other species of bacteria and prevent them from colonizing the infections
C. difficile
A bacteria present in small numbers in healthy people. Patients treated with antibiotics may experience a depletion of the gut microbiota and an overgrowth of C. difficile. It secretes a toxin that inflames the colon, causing diarrhea and bleeding. Antibiotics can disrupt the natural ecology of the colon
Pathogen
Any microorganism that causes disease. Includes both the microbes that always cause disease and the microbes that may cause disease if the immune system or other defenses are weakened
Opportunistic pathogens
Pathogens that only cause disease in people with compromised immune systems
4 kinds of pathogens
Viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites
Parasites
A heterogenous group of unicellular protozoa and multicellular invertebrates (worms).
Evolutionary relationships between pathogens and hosts
Pathogens evolve adaptations that allow them to invade hosts, replicate, and propagate throughout the population. Causing rapid death of the host is not in the best interest of the pathogen. Humans can also evolve genetic resistance to pathogens over time
Epithelium
Either a single layer or layers of cells bound tightly to each other. The epithelium lines the outer surface and inner cavities of the body. The skin is an epithelium that is protected by a tough layer of keratinized cells. Epithelia that line the respiratory, gastrointestinal, and urogenital tracts
Mucosal surfaces
The epithelium that lines the internal surfaces- respiratory, intestinal, and urogenital tracts. These surfaces secrete and are covered by mucus
Mucus
Secreted by mucosal epithelium. Contains glycoproteins, proteoglycans, and enzymes that protect the epithelial cells from damage and contribute to limiting infection. Cilia removes mucus from the respiratory tract
Antimicrobial peptides
Produced by all epithelia- kill bacteria, fungi, and enveloped viruses by damaging their membranes. Lysozymes are one example, found in tears and saliva
Innate immune response
Genetically programmed, initiated immediately upon infection. Depends on host defenses like complement, neutrophils, macrophages and NK cells. These defenses are non-specific and do not generate immunological memory
Phases of the innate immune response
First phase- recognition that a pathogen is present. Involves soluble proteins and cell-surface receptors can bind to the pathogen or human cells, and plasma proteins. The second phase recruits effector mechanisms that kill the pathogen.
Effector mechanisms
The physiological and cellular processes used by the immune system to destroy pathogens. Mediated by effector cells
Effector cells
The terminally differentiated immune cells that are responsible for killing pathogens. In the innate immune system, these are neutrophils, NK cells, and innate lymphocytes. In the adaptive immune system, these are antibody producing plasma cells and terminally differentiated T cells
Complement
A system of plasma proteins that guides the effector cells by tagging pathogens with molecular flags. Complement proteins can also kill pathogens without assistance from effector cells by disrupting pathogen membranes
Cytokines
Local cells secrete small proteins that act to change the behavior of neighboring cells. Cytokines bind to specific receptors on their target cells. In innate immunity, cytokines bind receptors on effector cells to trigger the innate immune response and induce inflammation in the infected tissue
Interleukins
Cytokines made by lymphocytes and other immune system cells
Inflammation symptoms
Heat, pain, redness, and swelling
How do cytokines induce inflammation symptoms?
- Induce dilation of capillaries, increasing blood flow, which makes the skin warm and red.
- Vasodilation creates gaps between the cells of the endothelium, making the endothelium more permeable, and blood plasma leaks into connective tissue, causing edema
- Edema causes swelling, which puts pressure on nerve endings and causes pain
Edema
Expansion of the local fluid volume
How do cytokines allow white blood cells to leave the blood?
Cytokines alter the adhesive properties of the vascular endothelium, which allows white blood cells to leave the blood and enter the inflamed tissue. These white blood cells contribute to inflammation. Infiltration of the inflammatory cells increases swelling and causes cells to release chemicals that cause pain
Benefit of inflammation
Allows many immune system cells and soluble effector molecules to quickly get to the infected tissue
Lymphocytes
A general white blood cell lineage, consists of B cells, T cells, and NK cells. Lymphocytes are used in the adaptive immune response to increase the strength and focus of the immune response
Adaptive immune response
When antigen-specific B and T cells respond to antigens, which allows an individual to develop immunological memory. Adaptive immunity is powerful, long lasting, and pathogen-specific. It has only evolved in vertebrates and can take days to weeks to mount an effective response
How do receptors differ between adaptive and innate immunity?
The receptors of innate immunity are structurally different from each other, and there are many different types. Each receptor recognizes molecular features shared by groups of pathogens. None is specific for a particular pathogen. Conversely, in adaptive immunity, lymphocytes recognize pathogens using only one type of cell surface receptor that is made in billions of different versions. The response is pathogen-specific by only including the lymphocytes expressing a receptor that recognizes the pathogen
Clonal selection
The mechanism by which adaptive immune responses derive only from individual antigen-specific lymphocytes, which are stimulated by an antigen and proliferate and differentiate into antigen-specific effector cells. This process takes time, so the adaptive immune response takes 7-10 days to develop
Clonal expression
The multiplication of lymphocytes after their activation by an antigen. Large clones of rare antigen-specific lymphocytes are generated to fight the pathogen
Immunological memory
The capacity of the immune system to make quicker and stronger adaptive immune responses to successive encounters with an antigen. Immunological memory is specific for a particular antigen and is long-lived
Memory cells
General term for a lymphocyte (B cell) that’s responsible for the phenomenon of immunological memory. They allow for subsequent encounters with a pathogen to elicit a stronger and faster adaptive immune response. This response can eliminate an infection before a person has symptoms
Primary immune response
The first time that a person makes an adaptive immune response to a pathogen
Secondary immune response
The adaptive immune response provoked by the second exposure to an antigen. It differs from the primary response by starting sooner and building more quickly. This is due to the presence of memory B cells and T cells that are specific to the antigen
Hematopoiesis
The generation of blood cells- red and white blood cells and platelets. All of these cells originate from pluripotent hematopoietic stem cells. Their differentiated daughter cells divide under the influence of different growth factors
Pluripotent hematopoietic stem cells
The stem cell in the bone marrow that gives rise to all blood cells. Stem cells are self-renewing
Megakaryocytes
These cells come from erythroid lineage. They are produced in the bone marrow and stay there. Blood platelets are produced by fragmentation of megakaryocytes. Megakaryocytes are giant cells arising from the fusion of multiple precursor cells. They have nuclei containing multiple sets of chromosomes
Hematopoietic cells
All blood cells (WBCs, RBCs, and platelets) and their developmental precursors
Anatomical site for hematopoiesis in fetuses
In an early embryo, blood cells are produced in the yolk sac and later produced in the fetal liver. The site changes to the spleen from the third-seventh month of pregnancy. As the bones develop during month 4-5, hematopoiesis begins to shift to the bone marrow. By birth, nearly all hematopoiesis takes place there
Anatomical site for hematopoiesis in adults
Concentrated in the bone marrow of the skull, ribs, sternum, vertebral column, pelvis, and femurs. Blood cells are short lived and must be constantly renewed throughout life
Platelets
Essential for blood clotting. They are non-nucleated, membrane-bound packets of cytoplasm that are fragmented from megakaryocytes. They circulate in the blood and close off badly damaged blood cells to reduce blood loss
Erythrocyte function
Oxygen transport
Dendritic cells
They have similar properties and functions to macrophages. Dendritic cells determine whether and when the innate immune response needs reinforcement with the adaptive immune responses. When adaptive immunity is necessary, dendritic cells in the infected tissue take intact and degraded pathogens to the lymphoid tissues, where they activate T cells in the adaptive immune response. These cells have a star-shaped morphology
Plasma cell
Terminally differentiated form of B cells (effector B cells) that synthesizes and secretes antibodies
Mast cells
Resident in all connective tissues. Expels parasites from the body by release of granules containing histamine and other active agents, which cause spasms of smooth muscle that eject parasites from the respiratory tract and gut. Their blood-borne progenitor is unknown
Natural killer (NK) cells
Large granular lymphocytes. They are cytotoxic and part of the innate immune response. NK cells are recruited to infected tissue by macrophages. They kill virus-infected cells and secrete cytokines that impair viral replication. Killing requires cell-to-cell contact, through the balancing of + and - signals. They secrete perforin, which forms pores in the membrane of the target cell, creating an aqueous channel. Granzymes then enter to induce apoptosis. NK cells are replenished in the bone marrow
Monocyte
A circulating precursor of the macrophage. Macrophages recruit monocytes to infected tissue, where the monocytes differentiate into macrophages and reinforce the resident macrophages. Once the pathogen has been eliminated, monocytes repopulate the tissue, which will differentiate to become tissue-resident macrophages. Sometimes macrophages are overwhelmed and die during infection. Monocytes are larger cells with an indented nucleus and uniform appearance
Neutrophil
Responsible for phagocytosis and the killing of microorganisms. Enters infected tissues in large numbers and engulfs and kills extracellular pathogens. It is a type of granulocyte that contains granules which stain with neutral dyes, hence the name. It’s the most abundant WBC. Neutrophils are stored in the bone marrow and released to infected tissue