HIS05 Introduction Of The Immune System Flashcards
Modern immunology
Study of cells and tissues that mediate immunity + genes and proteins underlying their functions (molecular immunology)
Organisation of immune system
Immune system (Lymphoid organs + Immune cells) —> Immunity (functional state of protection from infectious disease) —> Innate immunity (natural + non-specific) + Adaptive immunity (acquired + specific)
Adaptive immunity: could be enhanced by vaccination
Immune response: collective and coordinated responses to invasion of foreign substances
Immune cells
Lymphocytes
- T cell
- specifically recognise + respond to foreign antigens
- provide specificity for immune responses (consists of distinct subsets with different functions but very similar morphology) - B cell
- develop in bone marrow in mammals (bursa of Fabricius in birds) - NK cell
- recognise and kill **tumour cells + **virus-infected cells
- express neither B / T cell receptors
- up to 15% of lymphocytes
Accessory cells (not specific for different antigens but contribute to cognitive and activation phases of immune responses)
- APC
- Macrophage + Dendritic cells + ***B lymphocytes —> present antigen to B / T cells - Phagocytes
- Macrophage + ***Neutrophil
Lymphoid organs
Central / Primary lymphoid organs:
—> provide appropriate microenvironment for **development and **maturation of lymphocytes
1. Bone marrow
2. Thymus
Peripheral / Secondary lymphoid organs:
—> provide environment in which lymphocytes can ***interact with antigens and with accessory cells
1. Spleen
2. Lymph nodes
3. Mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) (e.g. tonsils, adenoids, Peyer’s patch of ileum)
Cells involved in immune response
Innate immunity
- Neutrophil
- Macrophage (APC: Bridging between innate and adaptive immunity by activating T cell)
- Dendritic cell (APC: Bridging between innate and adaptive immunity by activating T cell)
Adaptive immunity
- B cells (secrete Ab)
- T cells (secrete **cytokine, kill **tumour cell, ***virus-infected cells)
Innate immunity
- Present at birth
- ***not enhanced by successive exposures to foreign substances
- do ***not discriminate among most foreign substances
- Defence barriers
- Cell
- **Phagocytes (Phagocytosis) —> Macrophage, Neutrophil
- **NK cells (Cytotoxicity) - Humoral: Soluble factors
- **Acute phase proteins
- **Complements
- ***Interferons
Phagocytes
Macrophage + Neutrophil
Functions: 1. ***Phagocytosis: Phagosome forming —> Lysosome fusion —> Damage and digestion —> Release of microbial products
Other functions of Macrophage:
2. **Cytokine production
3. **Antigen presentation
—> Mediate adaptive immune response
Phagocytosis in Erythrocyte clearance: Oxidative damage / Cellular senescence —> Loss of membrane constituents on RBC (CD47, Sialic acids) —> Activate phagocytes —> Clearance of RBC
Clinical implications:
1. Enhanced destruction of RBC (over-activation of phagocytes reflected by Splenomegaly) —> Anaemia
- Impaired clearance of dying cells (early apoptotic cells) in SLE
—> cells get secondary necrosis and release of danger signals
—> inflammation and accessibility of autoantigens
—> disturbed affinity maturation
—> autoimmune reaction - Macrophage activation syndrome
—> massive production of cytokines
—> severe inflammation
—> organs and tissues damage
Dendritic cells
- Lymphoid / Myeloid
- ***Most potent APC
- ***Enhance proliferation of T cells
- ***Activate B cell
- Clinical implications: autoimmunity, infection, transplantation (enhance immune tolerance), immunotherapy
Charles Janeway Jr.
Pattern recognition theory of innate immune cells:
Pathogen-associated molecular patterns (on pathogens) + Pattern recognition receptors (on innate WBC)
Pattern recognition by immune cells
Adaptive immunity: Antigen receptors (***B / T cell receptors)
Innate immunity:
Pattern recognition receptors (***Toll-like receptors, Scavengers receptors etc.)
—> recognise LPS on bacteria
Adaptive immunity
- acquired during life
- ***induced by exposure to foreign substances
- ***enhanced after successive exposure to the antigen
- Mediated by B and T cell
- Humoral immunity (can be transferred to unimmunised individuals by **cell-free portion of blood (substances in body fluid))
- B lymphocyte:
—> **Ab production —> specific elimination of antigens
—> Antigen recognition
—> B cell activation
—> Cross-talk with T cell - Cellular immunity (can be transferred to unimmunised individuals with **cells from immunised individual)
- T Lymphocyte:
—> **Cytokine secretion
—> ***Direct cytotoxicity
Helper T cell: secrete cytokines + interact with B cell and macrophages
Cytotoxic T cell: kill target cells infected by virus / other pathogens
Antigen
Foreign substance that induce immunity
Epitope - Antigenic determinant
- Discrete site on antigen recognised by both B and T cell
- can be ***multiple epitopes on single antigen
- ***Immunologically active region (on surface of pathogens) binding to B / T cell receptors (recognised by B / T cells)
—> important for vaccine design and treatment
3 Phases of adaptive immune responses
- Recognition
- Lymphocyte recognise and bind to antigens by Antigen receptor on B / T cells - Activation
—> Proliferation (clonal expansion) + **Differentiation
—> give rise to **Effector + ***Memory cells - Reaction
- Effector cells: eliminate antigens
- Memory cells: immunological memory
***Cardinal features of adaptive immune responses
(記: SDSDM)
- Specificity
- immune responses specific for distinct antigens
- by antigen receptors on B / T cell - Diversity
- lymphocyte can discriminate >=10^9 distinct antigens
- result of numerous different clones of lymphocytes generated in an individual - Self-regulation
- ALL normal immune responses wane with time after antigenic stimulation
- e.g. 4 phases of primary Ab response: Lag —> Log —> Plateau —> Decline (due to activation-induced cell death)
- abnormal destruction of lymphocytes (e.g. HIV —> AIDS)
- failure of lymphocyte apoptosis —> accumulation —> defective homeostasis
(e.g. Canale-Smith syndrome
—> Lymphadenopathy and Splenomegaly
—> Increased numbers of lymphocyte (5-20 fold)
—> Elevated levels of Igs (hyper-gammaglobulinemia)
—> Fas-gene mutation (fas +/-)) - Immunological Memory
- Memory B / T cells - Discrimination of Self from Non-self
- lymphocytes able to recognise and respond to foreign antigens but unresponsive to self antigens —> Tolerance
- transplantation immunology
- autoimmune diseases
- tolerance induction in foetus (immune system that is different from adults’ —> recognise foreign proteins but avoid rejection of mother’s cells)