IIH Flashcards
What are the stages of Erythropoesis that occur in the bone marrow?
Stem Cell -> Proerythroblast -> Early Erythroblast -> Late Erythroblast -> Normublast -> Reticulocyte
How long does the reticulocyte remain in the bone marrow before moving into the blood stream?
~3 days
What occurs in the Early Erythroblast?
Ribsosome synthesis
What occurs in the Late Erythroblast?
Haemoglobin Accumulation
At what stage in Erythropoesis does the cell lose its nucleus?
From Nomublast to Reticulocyte
After how long does a Reticulocyte become an Erythrocyte?
1-2 days in the bloodstream
How long is the life cycle of an erythrocyte?
~120 days
Where and how are old erythrocytes broken down?
In the spleen, liver and bone by macrophages
What happens to the haemoglobin that is produced when erythrocytes are broken down in the spleen?
It is further broken down to heme and globin
The Globin is broken down to amino acids
The heme is broken down to bilirubin and Fe2+
What happens to the amino acids produced by breakdown of erythrocytes?
They return to the bone marrow, via the blood stream, to be reused for erythropoesis
What happens to Fe2+ produced by the breakdown of erythrocytes?
It is converted to Fe3+ and bound to transferrin by hepatocytes so it can return to the bone marrow
What is the Hb range for anaemia?
Hb <130 g/L (men)
Hb <120 g/L (women)
What does the term clot refer to?
An intravascular thrombus
What is haemostasis?
The process that results from the stopping of bleeding following blood vessel injury
What does a haemostasic response involve normally?
Complex interactions between activated plasma clotting factors and platelets at the site of injury.
How are platelets produced?
They are produced by megakaryocytes in the bone marrow
What is the normal lifespan of a platelet?
8-12 days
What is the initial response to damaged endothelium?
Transient local vasoconstriction in order to reduce blood loss
What is the structure of a clot surrounding damaged endothelial tissue?
The inner shell consists of a dense inner core made up of fully activated platelets
This is surrounded by an outer shell of partially activated loosely packed platelets
What are the three main types of granules contained within platelets?
Dense granules - contain mediators of platelet activation such as serotonin, atp and calcium
Alpha granules - contain a number of clotting factors including FV, FVIII, fibrinogen, von Willebrand factor
Glycogen granules - provide the energy source for platelet reactions
Which are the two most important platelet glycoprotein receptors and what do they do?
GP1b - attaches to von Willebrand factor to form the initial tethering of the platelets
GPIIb/IIIa - is activated after tethering and expresses vWF which causes further platelets to tether and begins to form the clot
What are the inhibitors of coagulation?
Tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI)
Antithrombin
Protein C
Protein S
What are two platelet inhibitors?
Prostacyclin
Nitric Oxide
What initially activates platelets at damaged endothelium?
ADP released from damaged blood vessel endothelial cells. Along with exposed collagen and thrombin
How are blood coagulation factors synthesised and released?
They are synthesised in the liver and released into the circulation in inactive precursor forms
What vitamin is required for synthesising some of growth factors and which growth factors are these?
Vitamin K is required to synthesise prothrombin (factor II) F VII, IX and X
Which factors are cofactors in the coagulation cascade and for which factors?
FV is a cofactor for activated FX
FVIII is a cofactor for activated FIX
What two forms do naive T cells differentiate into?
CD4 t cell which differentiates to a t helper cell
CD8 t cell which differentiates to a cytotoxic t cell
What cell do the CD4 and CD8 t cell receptors have affinity for? and what is the result of these being bound to?
CD4 t cell receptors have affinity for the MHC I receptor with epitope attached which is found on normal cells. This causes the t cell to be activated into a cytotoxic t cell.
CD8 t cell receptors have affinity for the MHC II receptor with epitope attached which is found in antigen presenting cells such as macrophages. This causes the t cell to be activated to a t helper cell.
What are the three main functions of complement proteins?
Opsonisation
Forming membrane attack complexes
Enhance Inflammation
What is opsonisation?
Coating of the surface of pathogens in complement proteins
Macrophages have complement receptors so this allows pathogens to be engulfed more easily
What is a membrane attack complex?
The process by which a group of complement proteins make a hole in a pathogens cell membrane causing lysis
Where are comlement proteins produced and how do they move around the body?
Complement proteins are produced in the liver and circulate in the bloodstream in an inactive form.
They become activated when they meet a pathogen
What are the three types of complement activation pathways?
Classical pathway
Alternative pathway
Lectin pathway
What is the ultimate step of all three complement activation pathways?
They all lead to the generation of C3 convertase.
This breaks down C3 to C3a and C3b
What are the functions of C3a and C3b
C3a acts to enhance inflammation
C3b acts to enhance opsonisation and cause the formation of membrane attack complexes
What is the classical pathway of complement protein activation?
Recognition of an antigen-antibody complex.
A complex protein binds to the Fc portion of the antibody and activates the production of C3 convertase.
What is the Lectin binding pathway of complement protein activation?
Acute phase proteins are released by the liver in response to interleukins in the bloodstream from local tissue macrophages.
Manose binding Lectin (MBL) binds to mannose and causes the production of C3 convertase
Which complement proteins are fundamental for enhancing inflammation?
C3a and C5a