Chapter 3- Innate Immunity- Induced Response to Infection Flashcards
Paneth cells
The immune cells of the intestine. Paneth cells are the main source of defensins in the intestine- the α-defensins HD5 and HD6, also known as cryptidins are made only by Paneth cells
Constitutive regulation
Constitutive genes are always expressed at a basal level
Pentraxins
Pentraxins are a family of cyclic multimeric proteins found in blood and lymph. They are effector molecules of innate immunity that have a similar role to the antibodies of adaptive immunity in binding to microbial surfaces and facilitating the phagocytosis of pathogens. Two subfamilies- short and long pentraxins
Short vs long pentraxins
Long or short refers to how many amino acids make up the pentraxin
Pentraxin structure
Contain a 200-residue pentraxin domain at the C-terminal end of the polypeptide
Serum amyloid P component
A short pentraxin produced by liver hepatocytes. Its ligands are bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites
PTX3
A long pentraxin produced by monocytes, macrophages, dendritic cells, endothelial cells, and epithelial cells. Its ligands are bacteria, viruses, and fungi
Pentraxin mechanism
Function as bridging molecules that bind pathogens on one binding site and cell surface receptors of phagocytes to another.
Effector cells of the innate immune system (4)
- Neutrophils
- Macrophages
- Dendritic cells
- NK cells
Innate immunity cell receptors function
The cellular receptors of innate immunity distinguish between “non-self” (microbes themselves) and “self” or “altered-self” (infected or cancerous cells) and “self” by recognizing structural features on microbes that are not present on mammalian cells. This includes differences in the macromolecules produced by pathogens. Some features are expressed by entire families of pathogens, allowing a wide range of pathogens to be detected by a much smaller number of receptors. The receptors are expressed by neutrophils, macrophages, NK cells, and other innate immune cells. There are more than 100 different innate immune receptors, and each type of innate cell only expresses a subset of them
Macrophage recognition of bacterial carbohydrates
One example of innate cells recognizing “self” vs “non-self”. Macrophages can capture a bacteria using receptors that bind to carbohydrates on the bacterial cell surface but do not bind to the carbohydrates on human cells. In this context the bacterial carbohydrates are perceived as non-self, whereas the human carbohydrates are seen as self. On capturing the bacterium with these receptors, the macrophage is signaled to internalize the bacterium by phagocytosis and then break it down in a phagosome
NK cell recognition of viral proteins
One example of innate cells recognizing “self” vs “non-self”. In a virus-infected human cell, the viral genome is transcribed and translated, leading to the presence of viral glycoproteins on the epithelial cell surface. NK cells are another innate immune cell that have surface receptors which bind to the viral glycoproteins. Binding to these receptors instructs the NK cell to kill the infected cell. In this context, the virus-infected cell is perceived as altered-self, whereas the neighboring uninfected cells are seen as self.
Tissue macrophages
During embryonic development, macrophage precursors are seeded into every tissue of the human body. All tissues contain resident macrophages which are ready to phagocytose invading pathogens. Tissue macrophages carry a battery of phagocytic and signaling receptors. The receptors work together to bind the pathogens and trigger their phagocytosis by the macrophage. Ligands recognized by phagocytic receptors are mostly bacterial carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and DNA. Signaling receptors distinguish ‘self’ from ‘non-self’ and induce changes in gene expression and macrophage function
Langerhans cells
Resident tissue macrophages of the skin
Alveolar macrophages
Resident macrophages of the lung
Kupffer cells
Resident macrophages of the liver
Microglia
Resident macrophages of the CNS
Red pulp macrophages
Resident macrophages of the spleen
Osteoblasts
Resident macrophages of the bone
Macrophage phagocytic receptors (there are 5)
- Mannose receptor
- Dectin-1
- Scavenger receptors
- MARCO
- Complement receptors CR3 and CR4
Mannose receptor and dectin-1
Part of the SR-E class of scavenger receptors. Macrophage phagocytic cell-surface receptors and plasma proteins that recognize carbohydrates are called lectins- there are C-type and B-type lectins. Lectins differ on the surface of microbes, identifying them as “non-self”
C-type lectins
Calcium ion coordinates the interaction of carbohydrate ligand with the receptor
B-type lectins
Bind sulfated galactosamine residues
Scavenger receptors
Macrophage phagocytic receptors. Scavenge damaged molecules of low-density lipoprotein from blood as well as negatively charged microbial products. In the absence of infection, macrophages use their scavenger receptors to remove dead and dying cells and unwanted macromolecules. They also remove cells that have died by apoptosis. SR-A: Gram negative LPS, Gram positive teichoic acid, CpG DNA. SR-B: lipopeptides