Foundations in Immunology Flashcards
What are the major cells involved innate immunity?
- macrophages
- neutrophils
What are the major cells involved in adaptive immunity?
Lymphocytes
What is the main role of the innate immune system
To act as the body’s first line of defence
What are the physical barriers of the innate immune system?
- tight junctions between epithelia
- mucous membranes
What phagocytic cells are in the innate immune system?
- macrophages
- neutrophils
What are the three defences of the innate immune system?
- physical barriers
- phagocytic cells
- soluble factors
Describe the process of phagocytosis
Phagocytosis is triggered when the phagocyte recognises a foreign cell
- it is the internalisation of foreign matter by cells into cytoplasmic vesicles
- once inside, the matter is digested by lysosomes which contain enzymes
The digestion of foreign cells by lysosomes also kills
the cell that did the ingesting
What are the primary lymphoid organs?
What is their function?
These organs are where lymphocytes are generated
- thymus
- bone marrow
- foetal liver
What are the secondary lymphoid organs?
What is there function?
Where immune responses are initiated and lymphocytes maintained
- lymph nodes
- spleen
What are the four fundamental properties of an adaptive immune response?
- specificity
- diversity
- memory
- recruitment of other defence mechanisms
What is the role of B-lymphocytes in immunity?
B-cells differentiate further to form plasma cells
- these cells synthesise antibodies specifically designed for use against detected pathogen
- pathogen recognised by membrane bound antibody
- antibodies produced by plasma cells are soluble in plasma
The section of an antibody which binds to the antigen is the
paratope and binds to the antigen epitope
Antigens are proteins which are able to
evoke an immune response and react with immune products
The complement system is made up of
25 serum proteins whose sequential activation and assembly into functional unit can bring about three events
