Foundations of immunology

Question 1

What are the two sections of the immune system?

Answer 1

Innate

Adaptive

Question 2

How does self-tolerance work?

Answer 2

Cells/tissues have a molecule(s) attached that identify them as ‘self’

So immune system does not attack

Question 3

What are the 2 physical barriers to infection?

Answer 3

Skin

Mucosal barrier

Question 4

If a pathogen penetrates the body, what section of the immune system is it first to encounter?

Answer 4

Innate

Question 5

What are the different types of phagocytes

Answer 5

Neutrophils
Macrophages
Monocytes (differentiate into macrophages)
Mast cells 
Dendritic cells

Question 6

The innate immune system causes the area around a cut to swell.

How?

Answer 6

Influx of macrophages

Release chemicals to restrict blood-flow away from area

Attack pathogens at site of penetration

Question 7

Describe the process of phagocytosis (with a macrophage).

Answer 7

Microbe ingested by phagocyte

Phagosome formed

Lysosome fuses with phagosome

Enzymes in lysosome digest pathogen

Antigen from pathogen attached to MHC2 and presented on membrane

Residual waste discharged from phagocyte via exocytosis

Question 8

Where are all cells involved with the immune system made?

Answer 8

Bone marrow

Question 9

What is the fancy name for making these new cells?

Answer 9

Hematopoiesis

Question 10

The stem cell used to manufacture all these immune badbois splits into the common myeloid progenitor, and the common lymphoid progenitor.

Which of these develops to form B cells, T cells and natural killer cells?

Answer 10

Lymphoid progenitor

Question 11

Monocytes differentiate/divide to form what?

Answer 11

Macrophages

They do so in tissue

Question 12

Where are macrophages found?

Answer 12

Tissues

Question 13

Macrophages release cytokines when they encounter a cut/splinter/whatever. Why do they do this, and what is the process called?

Answer 13

Alert other cells to danger

Induce others to site of injury

‘Recruitment’

Question 14

What is the most abundant type of White blood cell?

Answer 14

Neutrophils

Question 15

Both neutrophils and macrophages are phagocytes, and will ‘eat’ pathogens when encountered.

What makes macrophages and neutrophils different?

Answer 15

Macrophages present antigens of pathogen

Neutrophils are not APCs

Question 16

What white blood cells are involved with allergies and asthma?

Answer 16

Mast cells

Eosinophils

Question 17

Eosinophils contain granules.

What do these granules contain?

Answer 17

Enzymes

Release to destroy infections n shit

Question 18

Large scale mast cell degranulation is responsible for what medical emergency?

Answer 18

Anaphylactic shock

Question 19

Basophils are the least common type of what?

Type of WBC

Answer 19

Granulocytes

Question 20

What 2 places are natural killer cells found?

Answer 20

Blood

Spleen

Question 21

How do natural killer cells kill pathogens?

Answer 21

Secrete perforin ∴ bore hole in pathogen

Release granzymes that enters pathogen and induces apoptosis

Question 22

True or false

Natural killer cells are a type of granulocyte.

Answer 22

False

Although they contain granules, they are not

They are a type of lymphocyte

Question 23

Compliment proteins have 3 pathways of activation. What are they?

Answer 23

Classical
Alternative
Lectin

Question 24

Where are the compliment proteins mainly synthesised?

Answer 24

Liver

Question 25

In the classical activation pathway for compliment, what causes C1 to become activated?

Answer 25

Antigen-antibody complex formation

C1 binds to Fc region on antibody

Question 26

The end product of the classical pathway is when C5b interacts with C6, C7, C8 and C9. What is the end product of this, and what is it’s function?

Answer 26

C5b6789

Membrane attack complex

Question 27

How is the alternative and lectin activation pathway the same as the classical pathway?

Answer 27

End product is always membrane attack complex

Question 28

What are the 3 main functions that compliment carries out after activation?

Answer 28

Stimulate inflammation

Induce lysis of microbes (MAC)

Opsonization - cover the pathogen and make it easier for phagocytes to engulf

Question 29

Cytokines are chemicals used by immune cells, to communicate with each other.

There are 3 ways that cytokines work, to do with where they go and what cells they activate. Name these, and briefly describe which one is which.

Answer 29

Autocrine - binds to receptor on the same cell

Paracrine - binds to nearby cell

Endocrine - cytokines go into circulation then bind to distant cell

Question 30

Inflammatory response is categorised into 2 types. What are they?

Answer 30

Acute - initial response to harmful stimuli

Chronic - progressive sift in types of cells at site of inflammation. Simultaneous destruction and healing of tissue.

Question 31

What is the innate immune response?

Answer 31

Non-specific, first immune response

Question 32

What is the difference between the classical pathway and lectin pathway?

Answer 32

The lectin pathway starts with mannose-binding lectin (MBL) or ficolin binding to certain sugars

Classical pathway starts with C1 binding to an antibody in a antibody-antigen complex

Question 33

How does the alternative compliment pathway start?

Answer 33

The pathway is triggered when the C3b protein directly binds a microbe