Effector Responses: Humoral and Cell-mediated Immunity Flashcards
Neutralization
protects against viral or bacteria infection or the damaging effects of toxins
Agglutination
enhances neutralization and more efficient clearance of pathogens from the body
Opsonization
promotes and or enhances the engulfment of antigens by phagocytosis
Complement Activation
result in the generation of the membrane attack complex (MAC), creating pores in pathogen membranes and killing the microbe
Antibody-Dependent Cell-mediated Cytotoxicity (ADCC)
activates the killing activity of several types of cytotoxic cells, e.g. NK cells
Antibody-Dependent Degranulation and Mediator Release
triggers mediator release from granulocytes
What determines an antibody class
constant region determines class, class determines function
How an antibody contributes to clearing infection depends on
its class (heavy-chain isotope)
- controls some of its effector function
- determines which receptor can bind
- determines which cells an antibody can activate
- determines which locations in the body it can gain access
IgM
- First Ab produced in a primary immune response
- Tends to have lower affinity, high avidity
- Pentavalent (10 Ag binding sites)
- Efficient at complement fixation - MAC formation and target lysis
- Efficient at forming defense Ab-pathogen complexes that are engulfed by macrophages
- Secreted and membrane
IgG
- effective at complement fixation
- Mediate ADCC by NK cells
- Enhancing phagocytosis by macrophages
- secreted
IgA
- Found in secretion (mucus, milk, tears, saliva)
- effective at neutralizing toxins and pathogens
- Does not fix complement so does not drive inflammation
- protease-resistant, generally has long half-life in secretions
- secreted
IgE
- Best known for role in allergy and asthma
- may also play a role in protection against parasitic helminths and protozoa
- Made in very small quantities but induce potent effects
- degranulation of eosinophils/basophils
- release of molecules such as histamine to damage large pathogens
- secreted
IgD
- minor immunoglobulin
- present in upper respiratory secretion (respiratory bacterial and viral pathogens)
- binds basophils and mast cells and stimulates release of antimicrobial peptides
- secreted and membrane
Fc receptors
mediate many effector functions of Ab
FCR signaling
- multiple FcRs need to be cross-linked in order to initiate a signal
- signal may be positive (enhancing) or negative (inhibiting)
- Outcome depends on whether receptor is associated with ITAM or ITIM