Defense Flashcards
intrinsic vs extrinsic mortality
- intrinsic and extrinsic are separated to understand and measure the factors underpinning mortality
- intrinsic mortality: result of senescence and increase of age
- extrinsic mortality: result of environmental hazards and is constant with age
mortality
- general causes of mortality are biotic (relating to living organisms)
1. competition for nutrients
2. predation
3. infection
4. injury - all contribute to evolution, b/c successful lineages have evolved mechanisms that best cope with these risks
Coevolution
- organisms live/evolve in same environment as one another so they affect each other
- organisms evolve mechanisms of adaptation and counter adaptation (arms race)
- coevolution = important driver of evolution
- ex: bacteria and immune system always evolving
- microorganisms can evolve rapidly, and host needs to adjust accordingly to survive
- development of eukaryotes allowed organisms to develop specialized organelles (endosymbiotic theory)
- it’s speculated that the development of sexes is also a consequence of this requirement for a continuous adaptation
Host Defenses
- humans evolved a series of barriers and mechanisms that allow peaceful coexistence with some commensals and defensive strategies to prevent death
- exposure to commensals in early life promotes development of a healthy/functional immune system
- lack of exposure to commensals can lead to autoimmune diseases
Innate vs Adaptive defensives
Innate
- immediate, rapid response
- physical barriers or inflammation
- generalized response, nonspecific
adaptive
- slower response – few days
- specialized response
- requires recognition of pathogen
- repeated exposure to molecules will cause increased responses (trained to respond to invaders)
Innate immunity: Physical Barriers
skin: forms a protective outer layer that most viruses and bacteria can’t penetrate
hairs & cilia: sweep particles outwards until they can be expelled
mucous membranes: secrete mucus which traps particles
gastric juices: kills most of bacteria you swallow
saliva & tears: contain enzymes that prevent bacteria from multiplying
innate immunity: Phagocytic cells (APC)
phagocytosis:
1. phagocytic cells recognize specific epitopes on surface of bacteria (LPS) or cells that need to undergo turnover
- some particles can’t be recognized by the phagocyte unless opsonized (tagged with antibodies/opsonin’s)
2 they engulf (eat) bacteria, harmful particles, and dead cells
3. the particle is ingested on the form of a phagosome that is then fused with lysosomes containing digestive substances (H2O2, HOCl, O2-) and degrade them
- some cells “present” antigens to other cells of immune system: monocytes, macrophages, neutrophils
-macrophages:
- are important because they are first line barrier and set up adaptive immunity- secrete cytokines which regulate the immune response
Innate Immunity: Inflammation
- macrophages secrete cytokines to stimulate inflammation, eliminate the original cause of injury, and promote repair
- 4/5 Cardinal Signs
1. Redness because of vasodilation & increased blood flow
2. Swelling because of vasodilation
3. Heat because increased blood flow and blood is warm
4. Pain because of fluid build up and nociceptors
5. Loss of function (sometimes not counted) - Problem in current day is the constant low grade systemic inflammation in humans that causes diabetes and heart disease
Adaptive Immunity
- Innate immunity stimulates and overlaps with acquired/adaptive immunity
- Cytokines released by inflammatory response attract lymphocytes to site of immune reaction
- Acquired immunity is directed at a specific pathogen and takes longer to develop
Adaptive immunity: Lymphocytes
- Each lymphocyte interacts with a specific antigen(pathogen)
- Millions of lymphocytes can recognize millions of antigens
- Keep only a few memory lymphocytes for a specific antigen at all times
- At birth = naïve lymphocytes, so through childhood its really important to be exposed to antigens which matures the lymphocytes
- When lymphocytes recognize an antigen it starts dividing: clonal expansion
- First time exposure to antigen = slower & weaker response
- Subsequent exposure to same antigen: faster & stronger response
Process of Lymphocytes
- Upon first exposure to a specific antigen, naïve lymphocytes reproduce
- Exposure to the antigen triggers clonal expansion & immune response
- Clonal expansion produces effector cells and memory cells
- Effector cell (B lymphocytes): immediate response and fight off pathogen by becoming plasma cells and secreting antibodies
- Memory cells: long lived and continue to reproduce so that years later when re-exposed to same antigen clonal expansion happens a lot faster
Adaptive immunity: B-Lymphocytes
-structure
-antigen binding
- antibody functions
- Structure: 2 heavy chains & 2 light chains make up Y shaped structure where antigen binds to an arm of the Y, base of Y is highly conserved and the same in every B-Lymph
- Antigen binding: Y arms have specific/unique binding sites for a corresponding antigen to bind to
- Antibody functions:
1. Activate B lymphocytes
2. Act as opsonin’s to tag for phagocytosis
3. Cause antigen clumping and inactivation of bacterial toxins
4. Activate antibody dependent cellular activity like NK cells
5. Activate complement
6. Trigger mast cell degranulation
Adaptive immunity: antibodies
- Antibodies recognize extracellular pathogens binding soluble or exposed antigens Like in blood or tissues
- Once a pathogen gets inside host cell, it cant be detected by humoral immune system so cytotoxic T lymphocytes defend against intracellular pathogens
Adaptive immunity: T Lymphocytes
- T-lymphocytes have a T cell receptor (TCR)
- TCR are closely related to antibodies & probably share a common ancestor
- TCR bind MHC-antigen complexes on the surface of cells
- T cells cant bind to free floating antigens like B cells do
- Process
1. T lymphocytes develop during embryonic development
2. Turn into cytotoxic T cells or helper T cells
3. Cytotoxic T cells: respond to intracellular targets by killing cancerous/dysfunctional/infected cells, has MHC I
4. Helper T cells: responds to extracellular targets by binding to MHC II antigen presenting cells and secrete cytokines that activate other immune cells
5. T lymph activation: TCR bind to antigen presented on MHC receptors
Adaptive immunity: MHC
- MHC = major histocompatibility complexes are membrane proteins present on every nucleated cell in the body
- MHC proteins combine with fragments of antigens that have been digested within the cells then the combined MHC-antigen complex is presented on surface of cell
- MHC I: are present on all cells, respond to intracellular targets
o CD8+ (Cytotoxic t cell) TCR binds to MHC I receptor of infected host cell - MHC II: only found on Antigen presenting cells (APC), responds to extracellular targets
o CD4+ (helper T cell) TCR binds to MHC II receptor which activates the helper T cell
HLA: chromosome 6
- HLA genes are highly polymorphic and inherited in close linkage
- Linkage disequilibrium: certain alleles tend to be inherited together
- Siblings have 25% chance of inheriting the same haplotypes so often ideal donors
HLA polymorphisms and autoimmune diseases
- Body attacks its own tissues mistaking them for non self-pathogens
- Genetic factors: certain mutations in genes coding for HLA have been associated with many autoimmune diseases