Immune System Flashcards
What are the three phases of the immune system?
- Barrier defence
- Innate immune response
- Adaptive immune response
Describe the barrier defences of the immune system?
- skin and mucous membranes
- immediate prevention of invasion of body tissues
Describe the innate immune response?
Rapid and non specific
Describe the adaptive immune response?
Slower and specific = effective
What are the three classes of immune cells?
- Phagocytic cells
- Lymphocytes
- Cytoplasmic granules
Describe each of the three classes of immune cells?
- Phagocytic: Ingest pathogens by phagocytosis
- Lymphocytes : Coordinate activities of the adaptive immunity
- Cytoplasmic granules : mediate immune response against parasites, viruses (intracellular pathogens)
What are the primary cells of the adaptive immune response?
- Bcells
- Plasma cells
- Tcells
- Natural killer cells (NK)
What is an antibody?
Group of proteins that bind specifically to pathogen associated molecules (antigens)
What are antigens?
Chemical structures present on the surface of pathogens that bind to B/Tcell antigen receptors
Where are B-cells produced and matured?
Bone marrow + Red bone marrow
Where are T-cells produced and matured ?
Bone marrow + thymus
What is the B-cells response to antigen?
Secretes antibodies and It differentiates in to plasma cells in order to secrete soluble forms of surface antibodies.
What are plasma cells?
Activated B-cells with additional protein synthesizing machinery.
What is the T-cell response to antigens?
Doesn’t secrete antibodies
either communicates with other cells (T-Helper) using soluble factors or destroys the infected cells (cytotoxic)
What are natural killer cells?
Contain cytotoxic granules in their cytoplasm
first line of defence against viruses + cancer
What are the primary lymphoid organs?
- Bone Marrow
- Thymus
What are the secondary lymphoid organs?
- Lymph node
- Spleen
- Lymphoid nodulesv
What is the function of bone marrow?
Red: hematopoiesis
yellow: energy storage
production of B/T cells (immature)
What is the function of the thymus?
Maturation of T-cells , self vs non self development
What is the function of lymph nodes?
remove debris and pathogens from lymph
site adaptive immune response
Describe the structure of lymph nodes?
-Tough capsule of connective tissue
- sep by trabeculae
- germinal center
What is the germinal centre?
Rapid dividing B-cells surrounded by T-cells and accessory cells.
What is the function of the spleen?
remove microbes and more from blood
immune response location for blood borne pathogens
Describe the structure of the spleen?
- Divided by trabeculae
- red pulp
- white pulp
How does lymph flow through the spleen?
Enters from capillaries, collects in the venous sinuses and leaves through the splenic vein
What is red pulp and what is the purpose of red pulp?
Reticular fibres with fixed macrophages and lymphocytes
- filters blood using nonspecific immune response
What is white pulp and what is the purpose of white pulp?
(resemble lymphoid follicles)
- surround arterioles (central)
- has a germinal center
- adaptive immune response in the spleen