Hypersensitivity Flashcards
What is hypersensitivity ?
a state of heightened reactivity to antigen
Describe hypersensitivity reactions
immune responses to innocuous antigens that lead to symptomatic reactions upon re-exposure
Describe Hypersensitivity disease
damage to host tissue caused by hypersensitivity reactions to typically innocuous antigens
Type antigen do I hypersensitivity Reactions involve
involve IgE-dependent triggering of mast cells (commonly referred to as allergy)
What antigens do Type II hypersensitivity reactions involve
involves IgG antibody that is reactive with cell-surface or matrix antigens
Describe Type III hypersensitivity
involves the production of antigen:antibody complexes
Describe Type IV hypersensitivity
T cell-mediated hypersensitivity
Type type of T cells promote a Type 1 Hypersensitivity
TH2 CD4 cells can induce class switching from IgM to IgE; antigens that selectively stimulate TH2 cells that drive an IgE response are known as allergens
What are the properties common to allergens?
What happens when soluble antigens strike mucosal membranes ?
•• most allergens are small proteins
•• most are highly soluble
•• most are carried on desiccated particles (pollen, mite feces)
•• upon contact with mucosa of airways, soluble antigens elute from the delivery particles and
diffuse into the mucosa
Do all allergens have enzymatic activity ?
How is IgE effective against parasites ?
many common allergens have enzymatic activity but not all of them •• many parasites produce and secrete proteolytic enzymes that break down connective tissues to gain access to the host; These proteases activate Th2 responses that will drive class switching from IgM ---> IgGG
What is a prerequisite for a Type 1 hypersensitivity reaction
the initial response to an allergen must be an IgE response because degranulation of Mast cells ( and neurophils and basophils ) drive the type 1 reaction
How do TH2 cells stimulate class switching to IgE?
How exactly does TH2 carry out its job ?
I would get creative on these but they are just to review…
effector TH2 cells deliver several molecular signals that favor class switching in B lymphocytes to IgE; once the TCR of a TH2 cell becomes ligated (by specific peptide antigen presented via MHC class II molecules on the B cell), the TH2 cell:
•• produces and secretes IL-4, IL-5 and IL-13
•• upregulates surface expression of CD40 ligand (CD40L) and CD23 (low affinity receptor for
IgE); these costimulatory molecules can bind to their counter receptors (CD40 and CR2)
on the presenting B cell
•• the combination of these signals induces class switching to IgE
Who initiates type 1 hypersensitivities?
How are these cells activated?
What do they do once they are activated?
mast cells (eosinophils and basophils are also involved)
• all 3 of these cell types express the high affinity IgE receptor (Fc RI)
•• when the IgE bound to these cells is crosslinked by specific antigen, they degranulate; their
granules contain a variety of inflammatory mediators that initiate
inflammatory responses
How do Th2 cells induce class switching from IgM to IgE
Activated Th2 cells…
- secretes ( IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13)
- Up-regulate CD40 and CD 23
- These co-stimulatory molecules bind to B cells and induce class switching.
How are Type 1 hypersensitivenes initiated ?
When IgE binds to the high affinity IgE receptors on Mast Cells, Basophils
Describe the genetic basis of predisposition to an allergy
In regard to IgE genetic predisposition there are two chromosomes involved, name them and try to list some of the genes they encode for
Different races of people can be more or less sensitive to a particular antigen
•• chromosome 11 encodes a gene for the subunit of FcRI (high affinity IgE receptor)
***chromosome 5 encodes a cluster of genes that encode IL-3, IL-4, IL-5, IL-9, IL-13, and GM-CSF; all of these proteins are involved in isotype switching, eosinophil survival, and mast cell proliferation
How does the HLA Class II Polymorphism affect the IgE response to certain allergins
IgE response to several pollen antigens of ragweed correlate with the expression of HLA class II allotype DRB1*1501; this suggests that a certain HLA class II:peptide combination predisposes to stimulation of a TH2 response
What is Atopy ?
Predisposition of common antibody responses to an environmental allergen
How do you test sensitivity to an allergen ?
There are two steps be sure to describe both of them… We all took one of these tests before school started during orientation
1st step of response: injection of an allergen into the skin of a sensitive individual produces a characteristic inflammatory reaction known as a wheal and flare (you will describe what this is in 2 cards)
- *Localized redness and swelling**
- *Sub-Q Tb test where Tb protein is injected to see if you react to it
Describe the second step of response to the antigen response test
consists of more widespread swelling and is mediated by leukotrienes, chemokines,
and cytokines produced by mast cells following IgE-mediated activation from the injected foreign proteins