Immune System 1 Flashcards

1
Q

What is immunology?

A

Physiological mechanisms that defend the body against invasion from other organisms

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2
Q

What is an immunogen?

A

A molecule that stimulates the immune system to produce a response.

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3
Q

What is an antigen?

A

The part of the immunogen that reacts with immune effector cells or soluble antibodies.

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4
Q

What is an epitope?

A

The part of the antigen that reacts with immune effector cells or soluble antibodies

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5
Q

Define pathogen

A

Any organism with a potential to cause a disease

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6
Q

State the 4 main types of pathogens.

A
  • Bacteria
  • Viruses
  • Fungi
  • Parasites i.e worms
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7
Q

Name the process by which white blood cells are generated.

A

Haematopoiesis

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8
Q

What do potent haematopoietic stem cells differentiate into?

A

Two types of progenitors - the common lymphoid progenitor and the common myeloid progenitor

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9
Q

State the myeloid cells classification.

A

1) Granulocytes - neutrophil, eosinophil, basophil
2) Antigen presenting cells - monocytes, macrophages, dendritic cells
3) Mast cells

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10
Q

State the lymphoid cells classification.

A

1) Small lymphocytes - B cells and T cells
2) Large lymphocytes - NK cells

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11
Q

State the primary lymphoid organs.

A

Bone marrow
Thymus

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12
Q

State the secondary lymphoid organs.

A

Spleen
Adenoids
Tonsils
Appendix
Lymph nodes

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13
Q

What are the primary lymphoid organs involved in?

A

Generation and maturation of beta cells, T cells and immune cells

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14
Q

What are the secondary lymphoid organs involved in?

A

Attacking the pathogen

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15
Q

Describe the role of the bone marrow.

A

B cells originate and mature in it
T cells originate in it but leave at an immature stage

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16
Q

Describe the role of the thymus.

A
  • Immature T cells migrate here to complete their maturation
  • As they differentiate they progress from the cortex into the medulla
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17
Q

Describe the role of secondary lymphoid tissues.

A

They are the sites where mature lymphocytes are activated to respond to invading pathogens.

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18
Q

Where are lymphatic vessels?

A

In the connective tissues throughout the body.

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19
Q

What is the role of lymphatic vessels?

A

They collect the plasma fluid that continually leaks out from blood vessels.

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20
Q

Where are lymph nodes located?

A

At the junctions of a network of lymphatic vessels.

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21
Q

What is the fluid inside lymphatic vessels called and how is it returned to the blood?

A

Lymph - via the thoracic duct

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22
Q

Describe how lymph nodes fight against pathogens during infection. (4)

A
  • Arriving lymphocytes segregate in different areas of the lymph node
  • Pathogens are drained in lymph nodes from the afferent lymphatic vessels where they are trapped by dendritic cells and macrophages
  • B and T cells encounter the pathogen and are activated and undergo clonal expansion and differentiation.
  • As the lymphocytes grow in number, the lymph node increases in size (swollen glands)
23
Q

What are Mucosa Associated Lymphoid Tissue?

A

Specialised tissues that are distributed in submucosal layers of the gastrointestinal, genital, respiratory and urinary tracts.

24
Q

What are the two types of immunity?

A
  • Innate
  • Adaptive
25
Q

Describe innate immunity

A
  • Rapid response (no memory)
  • Fixed response
  • Limited specificity
  • Constant during response
26
Q

Describe adaptive immunity.

A
  • Slow response (memory)
  • Variable
  • Highly specific
  • Improve during response
27
Q

Which cells are involved in innate immunity?

A
  • Neutrophil
  • Eosinophil
  • Basophil
  • Monocytes
28
Q

If the cells in innate immunity cannot kill the pathogen what happens?

A

Activates the adaptive immunity.

29
Q

Which cells are involved in adaptive immunity?

A

B cell
T cell

30
Q

What three things are involved in the immediate innate response

A
  • Barriers
  • Antimicrobial peptides
  • Complement system
31
Q

What is the role of physical and chemical barriers?

A

To prevent pathogens from crossing epithelia and colonising tissues

32
Q

State the mechanical barriers for the skin.

A
  • Epithelial cells joined by tight junctions
  • longitudinal flow of air or fluid
33
Q

State the chemical barriers of the skin.

A
  • Fatty acids
  • Antibacterial peptides
34
Q

State the microbiological barriers of the skin.

A

Normal flora - bacteria that live in our body that do not cause harm which compete with foreign pathogens.

35
Q

State the mechanical barriers in the gut.

A
  • Epithelial cells joined by tight junctions
  • Longitudinal flow of air or fluid
36
Q

State the chemical barriers of the gut.

A
  • Low pH
  • Enzymes (pepsin)
  • Antibacterial peptides
37
Q

State the microbiological barriers of the gut.

A

Normal flora

38
Q

State the mechanical barriers of the lungs.

A
  • Epithelial cells joined by tight junctions
  • Movement of mucus by cilia
39
Q

State the chemical barriers of the lungs.

A

Antibacterial peptides

40
Q

State the mechanical barrier of the eyes/nose

A

Epithelial cells joined by tight junctions.

41
Q

State the chemical barriers of the eyes/nose

A
  • Salivary enzymes (lysozyme)
42
Q

What are anti-microbial peptides?

A

Molecules sensitised from immune cells which circulate in the blood and fight against fungi, bacteria and viruses

43
Q

What is the complement system?

A
  • Group of nearly 30 serum and membrane proteins
  • Activated upon infection
  • Mechanism = ezymatic cascade
44
Q

Describe the 4 roles of the proteins in the complement system?

A

1) Bind covalently to bacteria + which are then phagocytosed by cells with complement receptors
- Recruit phagocytes to the site and regulate inflammatory response
- Some produce B cells
- Terminal component of system generates Membrane Attack Complex (MAC) - results in lysis of pathogens

45
Q

State the four responses of the induced innate immune system.

A
  • Phagocytosis
  • Cytokineses production and inflammation
  • Toll Like Receptors activation
  • NK cells
46
Q

What are the two main phagocytic cells?

A
  • Neutrophils
  • Mononuclear phagocytes (monocytes and macrophages)
46
Q

Describe neutrophils.

A
  • Short-lived cells
  • Multi-lobed nucleus
  • Abundant in sites of acute inflammation
47
Q

Describe mononuclear phagocytes.

A
  • Longer lived cells
  • Antigen presenting cells
48
Q

State the three stages of phagocytosis.

A

1) Recognition and attachment
2) Engulfment
3) Killing and degradation

49
Q

Describe the recognition and attachment stage of phagocytosis.

A
  • Different types of receptors
  • Opsonin receptors enhance efficiency of phagocytosis as phagocytes have high-affinity with opsonin proteins
50
Q

Describe the engulfment stage of phagocytosis.

A
  • After a particle is bound to phagocyte receptors, the plasma membrane forms a vesicle that encloses the particle
  • Phagosome then fuses with a lysosomal granule
51
Q

Describe the killing and degradation stage of phagocytosis.

A

Lysosomal enzymes released

52
Q

What are cytokines

A

Low molecular weight protein which are secreted by cells that stimulate o inhibit the activity, proliferation or differentiations of other cells

53
Q

Describe the three roles of cytokines

A
  1. Mediators and regulators of innate immunity - produced by mononuclear phagocytes in response to infectious agent
  2. Mediators and regulators of adaptive immunity - produced by T lymphocytes in response to specific recognition of foreign antigens
  3. Stimulators of haematopoiesis - produced by bone marrow stromal cells, leukocytes and other cells and stimulate the growth and differentiation of immature leukocytes.