Immuno 7: T Cell Activation/Differentiation Flashcards
Naive T cells can only be activated by what?
a professional antigen presenting cell (APC) bearing the T cell’s cognate peptide in an MHC molecule
What are naive T cells doing before they are activated?
they are circulating throughout the bloodstream, moving from secondary lymphoid tissue to secondary lymphoid tissue, just looking for dendritic cells to present its antigen to it
What is an HEV?
high endothelial venule; a naive T cell will have to cross the HEV wall to enter a secondary lymphoid tissue
T cells express ____s on their surface that bind to ____s onthe surface of HEV cells.
selectins; addressins
Interaction of what specific molecules initiates the “rolling” process that leads to diapedesis of T cells into lymphoid tissue?
L-selectin on T cells interacts with addressins GlyCAM-1 and CD34 on HEV cells
What is LFA-1 and what activates it?
LFA-1 = lymphocyte function-associated antigen; activated by chemokines on the HEV cell surface
What does LFA-1 bind to and what is the result?
LFA-1 binds ICAM-1; result is tighter interaction that allows the T cell to squeeze between two endothelial cells and enter the lymphoid tissue
What is the crucial factor for initiation of adaptive immune response?
the high daily rate of T cells sampling peptides presented on dendritic cells
What adhesion molecules on the surfaces of T cells bind to adhesion molecules on the surface of APCs?
LFA-1 –> ICAM-1 or -2
CD2 –> LFA-3
ICAM-3 –> LFA-1
If the T cell encounters its cognate peptide:MHC complex on an APC, LFA-1 on the surface of the T cell undergoes a conformational change that does what?
increases its affinity for ICAMs
What are the 3 types of professional APCs, and what pathogen is each specialized for?
- dendritic cells - viral and EC antigens
- macrophages - EC independently replicating microbes (e.g., bacteria and yeast) and IC antigens
- B cells - soluble antigens from IC and EC sources
What do APCs have on their surface that distinguishes them from all other cells in the body?
the co-stimulator molecule, B7
The binding of B7 to ___ on T cells is an interaction required for activation of a naïve T cell.
CD28
There are two signals that are required for T cell activation. What are they?
1) binding of the TCR to its cognate peptide in the context of MHC
2) co-stimulation signaling that results from interaction between B7 (on the APC) and CD28 (on the T cell)
Where do immature dendritic cells hang out?
under the surface epithelium and in solid organs
True or false: immature dendritic cells are very active in presenting antigen.
False - they are very active in taking up antigens
What signals dendritic cells to migrate to lymphoid tissue?
infection - recognizes a pathogen by its PRRs; takes up the antigen and migrates to a T cell center to mature and present the antigen
What’s the difference between immature and mature dendritic cells?
mature dendritic cells will express co-stimulatory molecules and high levels of MHC molecules on their surface, as well as adhesion molecules (ICAM-1 & -2, LFA-1 & -3); mature cells also produce a chemokine DC-CK for attracting naive T cells
What is DC-CK and what does it do?
it’s a chemokine (chemotactic cytokine) secreted by mature dendritic cells that attracts naive T cells
What are immature dendritic cells of the skin called?
Langerhans’ cells
**not to be confused with Langhans cells, which are multinucleated giant cells
Macrophages are scavenger cells. How do they end up presenting antigens to T cells?
they phagocytize and destroy many microbes, present the peptides on the surface. They can do this even in the absence of bacterial products (non-infectious agents)
How much MHC class II and B7 is expressed by resting macrophages?
not very much - very low levels of MHC class II and no B7
What happens to the levels of MHC class II and B7 on the surface of macrophages when they take up and process microorganisms?
MHC class II and B7 expression is upregulated for facilitated antigen presentation
How do macrophages participate in peripheral T cell tolerance?
when they encounter antigen in the absence of bacterial products they will take up and express peptides at low levels, but they will still not express B7. This results in T cell recognition of the MHC:peptide complex, but without co-stimulation so the T cell is anergized instead of activated
After binding an antigen, B cells will ____ and ____ the antigen, then present the peptide on MHC class __ molecules.
internalize and process; MHC class II
True or false: B cells constitutively express low levels of MHC class II molecules and high levels of B7 co-stimulator molecules.
False - they constitutively express HIGH low levels of MHC class II molecules and LOW levels of B7 co-stimulator
A T cell that recognizes its specific antigen bound to MHC, but does not receive the co-stimulation signal, will become ____.
anergic
Co-stimulation of the T cell in the absence of specific antigen will have what effect?
no effect…wah wah.
Activation of a CD8+ T cell by an APC other than a dendritic cell requires what?
that both the CD8+ and a CD4+ T cell must recognize antigen on the APC simultaneously. This is a mechanism of increased co-stimulation that is needed to activate the CD8+ T cell because it’s so destructive.