Immune Regulation and Autoimmunity Flashcards
Self-limiting immune response
Immune response to forgein antigens diminishes as antigens are diminished
Role of antigen
Induces signals from antigen receptors, costimulatory molecules, cytokine receptors that promote survival of antigen-reactive lymphocytes
Bcl-2
Anti-apoptotic protein
Unregulated expression while antigen present
Decreased expression causes immune effector cells to become more susceptible to apoptosis without survival signals
Antigenic competition
Competing antigen can regulate immune response to an unrelated antigen
ie. Cytokine cross regulation during a co-infection of immuno-dominant Th1 stimulating infection and lesser Th2 stimulating infection, IFN-gamma form Th1 infection downregulated Th2
Role of antibody
Clearance of antigen by forming immune complexes that are phagocytosed by macrophages (elimination of antigen)
Feedback
Secreted IgG
Continued activation of B cells
Formation of immune complexes that cross-link surface Ig and IgG Fc receptors on B cells
Antibody feedback
IgG Fc receptor on B cells interacts with secreted IgG
Activation of phosphatase that prevents further signaling through BCR
Active regulatory mechanism
- CTLA-4
- AICD
- CD4+CD25+ Treg cells
CTLA-4
Expressed several days after T cell activation
Greater avidity for CD80/CD86 than CD28: favourably competes with CD28 for its ligands
Binding to B7 molecules deprives T cells of costimulatory signals through CD28, downregulating T cell activation
CTLA-4 mutant mice
Massive autoimmune T cell proliferation (in response to self antigen) and die within 4 weeks of birth
Activation-induced cell death (AICD)
Maintenance of T cell homeostasis
T cell activation causes expression of Fas and Fas ligand
Trimerization of Fas by Fas ligand on a neighbouring cell leads to T cell death by apoptosis
Fas/Fas ligand Mutant mice
Mutant mice that lack functional Fas or Fas ligand have excessive numbers of T cells
Spontaneously develop autoimmune disease
CD4+CD25+ T regulatory cells
Natural or inducible
Antigen specific
Inhibit proliferation of T cells by cell contact-dependent mechanism
Can increase/decrease activity to change immune responses
Produce products that inhibit cells around them: adenosine
Some kill using perforin and granzyme
Need to be close to target cells
Natural T regulatory cells
Arise in thymus and populate other lymphoid tissues
Inducible T regulatory cells
Arise in periphery after persistent antigenic stimulation of T cells
Adenosine
Binds to effector cells inhibiting proinflammatory activities
Treg interaction via CTLA-4
Interacts with CD80/CD85 on dendritic cells
Causes activation of signal pathways that cause expression of IDO, decreased expression of inflammatory promoting cytokines and costimulatory molecules
Indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase (IDO)
Metabolizes extracellular tryptophan
Tryptophan deficient environment makes effector T cells die by apoptosis
Extracellular tryptophan
Regulator of activated T cells
Deficient environment causes effector T cells to die by apoptosis
Prostaglandins
ie. PGE2
Can be produced by macrophages
Inhibits immune responses in nonspecific manner
Promote cAMP accumulation in T cells, which inhibits IL-2 synthesis and receptor signaling
Anti-idiotype antibodies
Recognize antigen binding site of an antibody molecule that has a characteristic structure or formation
Idiotype
Sum of individual idiotopes of antigenic determinants that are located in and out of the antigen binding site