Exam 4: Dr. Thomason Autoimmunity Flashcards
What do immune mediated diseases develop from?
An inappropriate immune system response against cells and tissues normally present in the body
What can inappropriate immune responses to self-antigens lead to?
Many and varied types of diseases
What can disorders involve with immune-mediated diseases?
Specific organs or multiple body systems
What do immune mediated diseases require?
A variety of diagnostic tests and treatment options
What is the key to autoimmunity?
The loss of self-tolerance
What is immunological self-tolerance?
Ability to tolerate self-antigens that encompass the tissues of the body
Potentially auto-reactive T and B lymphocytes met be brought under control
Describe central tolerance
Immature T cells
Must pass 2 tests before exiting the thymus and enter the periphery
Additional safe guards in the periphery
What are the two tests in central tolerance?
Positive selection
Negative selection
Where does positive selection occur?
In the thymic cortex
What is positive selection?
Immature T cell must prove that it has created a TCR capable of interacting with a peptide antigen presented to that T cell by an MHC molecule
What happens with a T cell with a functional TCR?
It passes the test of positive selection and progresses to negative selection
What happens if a T cell does not pass positive selection?
It dies by apoptosis
Where does negative selection occur?
In the thymic medulla
What is negative selection?
Immature T cell must prove that it’s TCR is not capable of responding to these self-antigens with high affinity
What do cells interact with in negative selection?
Thymic DCs that contain self proteins
What happens to TCRs on cells without a high affinity for self-proteins in negative selection?
They pass the test
What happens to TCRs on cells with a high affinity for self-proteins in negative selection?
They fail the test
What happens to T cells that fail negative selection?
They may potentially have auto reactive TCRs and undergo apoptosis
What do positive and negative selection lead to?
Marked loss of cells during intrathymic maturation
What do immature B cells undergo?
A process similar to negative selection