Immuno-pathology and HIV (E-lec) Flashcards
Define hypersensitivity reactions
An abnormal or exaggerated reaction to the ingestion, inhalation, or contact with a substance that does not provoke such a reaction in most people.
What is the apatite immune system sometimes triggered by?
triggered by non-self antigens that do not originate from an infectious agent
What are allergies provoked by antigens called?
allergens
What are the different classification of hypersensitivity reaction?
Types I, II, III and IV.
What are the different types of hypersensitivity reactions grouped according to?
Reactions are grouped according to the immune effector mechanisms that mediate the response and type of antigen that stimulates them
What is Type I Hypersensitivity caused by?
IgE binding to common, harmless allergens mainly air-borne allergens such as pollen and dust mites
What is a common source of allergen for Type I hypersensitivity reactions?
inhalation
Go through the process of sensitisation
- Soluble allergen is released from inhaled particles when they land on the mucosal surfaces
- allergen diffuses and can be picked up by dendritic cells
- Provokes an immune response that generates IgE producing plasma cells which migrate back to the mucosa
- IgE that is secreted binds to mast cells via the IgE Fc region and the Fc receptors on the mast cell surface.
- The antigen/ allergen specific Fab fragment is still free to bind to the allergen should it be present.
What would happen if an individual was reexposed to a type I hypersensitivity allergen
The allergen may bind to the IgE molecules, which will trigger the Mast cell via signals through the Fc receptors, to degranulate.
This causes release of histamine which has the troublesome effects that we associate with asthma or rhinitis
What are histamines?
A potent inflammatory mediator which has the troublesome effects that we associate with asthma or rhinitis
At what speed do type 1 hypersensitivity reactions occur at?
Type I hypersensitivity reactions have a very rapid onset which can be evident seconds or minutes after exposure
What is the rapid response of a type 1 hypersensitivity reaction due to?
This rapid response is due to IgE mediated mast cell degranulation causing increased permeability of blood vessels resulting in redness (erythema) and swelling (oedema) if the response is to exposure in the skin.
What reaction would you get if you get a type I hypersensitivity exposure to the airways?
airway the mast cell activation will instead cause oedema and constriction of the smooth muscle, both will narrow the airway, which is what happens in allergic asthma.
What is Type I hypersensitivity is characterised by?
an immediate followed by a delayed response. Classic symptoms of inflammation can be seen, including erythema (reddening of the skin) and oedema (swelling).
What is Type II Hypersensitivity mediated by?
Type II Hypersensitivity reactions are mediated by IgG class antibodies. The IgG antibodies bind to the small molecules when they are bound to the surface of cells or bound to an matrix.
can also be mediated by IgG antibodies that recognise cell surface receptors
What is Type II Hypersensitivity caused by?
caused by the effects of small molecules (themselves otherwise harmless) which binds to cell surfaces and so modify their structure.
What can type II hypersensitivity reactions result in?
The binding will result in the activation of effector functions via the interaction of IgG Fc regions and Fc receptors
This includes the activation of: phagocytosis of the labelled cells/ matrix particles, activation of complement and NK cells.
What can Type II hypersensitivity reactions sometimes be caused by?
This type of reaction can be caused by some drugs including antibiotics.
Antibiotics such as penicillin and cephalosporin are examples of drugs that can trigger type II hypersensitivity reactions.
How can antibiotics result in Type II hypersensitivity reactions?
Once bound to red blood cells or platelets, recognition by the drug specific IgG will ultimatly result in destruction of those cells which can result in anaemia or abnormal bleeding respectively.
What happens when an IgG antibodies recognises cell surface receptors ?
These antibodies will then bind to this receptor which is attached to the plasma membrane of a cell.
This binding of the receptor may cause it to switch on uncontrolled signalling.
Alternatively it may block any signalling through that receptor due to the antibody blocking the ability of the receptor to interact with it’s intended ligand.
Why does the binding and recognition of IgG antibodies to cell surface receptors elicit uncontrolled signalling?
The pathology of the reaction is due to the fact that the bound IgG interferes with the signalling capability of that receptor.
What does type III hypersensitivity reaction occur in response to?
Type III hypersensitivity reactions occur in response to soluble antigens
What is Type III Hypersensitivity mediated by?
Mediated by IgG produced in response to soluble antigen.
What happens between the antigen and the IgG antibody?
. These antibodies and the antigen cluster together to form aggregates, called immune complexes. These complexes can trigger immune effector functions and cells, causing tissue damage and pathology.
What is the extent and type of damage determined by in a Type III hypersensitivity reaction?
determined by the size of the immune complexes and the amount of them present.
Larger complexes are more readily cleared by phagocytosis but smaller complexes may be deposited on blood vessel walls where they attract and activate complement and leukocytes resulting in damage to the blood vessels and tissue.
Give a systemic example of a type III hypersensitivity reaction?
Serum sickness
What is the treatment for Serum sickness?
It follows injection with a treatment containing lots of foreign protein, such as an anti-venom made from animal serum or a blood product.
An IgG antibody response against these injected proteins is produced
When do the symptoms for type III hypersensitivity reactions show?
after approximately 7-10 days post exposure to the antigen,
What does the time taken for symptoms of type III hypersensitivity reactions to show correspond with?
Corresponds to the amount of time it takes to raise an adaptive humoral (B cell) response where the B cells have also undergone class switching to produce antibodies of the IgG class.
What is type IV hypersensitivity reaction also known as?
Delayed type hypersensitivity reactions
What are type IV hypersensitivity reaction mediated by?
Mediated by antigen-specific effector T cells and not by antibodies
Which T cell types are involved in type IV hypersensitivity reactions?
The T cell types involved can be CD8 cytotoxic T cells or CD4 Th1 or Th2 helper T cells, which will deploy their antigen specific functions as if they were responding to a pathogen
What types of antigens/ allergens that cause type IV hypersensitivity responses
Typically the antigens/ allergens that cause these responses are small and can easily penetrate epithelial barriers such as the skin
What will the foreign molecules bind to in a type IV hypersensitivity reaction?
The foreign molecule will bind to host proteins, altering their structure and making them “look” different in an immunological sense, so they will now be seen as foreign and non self by the immune system.
What are the 2 responses to a type IV hypersensitivity reaction?
- Sensitisation
2. Elicitation
Describe the sensitisation response to a type IV hypersensitivity reaction?
- Initially the individual must first be “sensitized” to the allergen.
- Following the penetration of skin for example, dendritic cells take up the altered host proteins process and present it to T cells within a lymph node
- A T cell response is initiated and ultimately memory T cells are produced which will reside throughout the body.
Describe the Elicitation response to a type IV hypersensitivity reaction?
If an individual is exposed again to the same allergen the local antigen presenting cells will present it to the allergen specific memory T cells that reside there.
What is the pathology Type IV hypersensitivity caused by
can be caused by the the activation of Th1, Th2 or cytotoxic T memory cells.
What is an autoimmune disease?
A disease in which the pathology is caused by an adaptive response to self antigens or those present on our commensal microbiota.
When can autoimmune diseases occur?
Autoimmune disease can occur when the tissue damage cause by the auto-immune response exceeds the capacity for tissue repair.
What can autoimmunity be classified as?
- Organ-specific or
2. Systemic disease
Why does autoimmunity develop?
Autoimmune disease develops due to a combination of factors including,:
genetic susceptibility,
a breakdown in self-tolerance,
an environmental trigger such as infection.
What do most genetic defects causing autoimmune disease affect?
- defects that alter the amounts of cytokines and chemokines produced,
- defects in antigen presentation and defects that affect the lifespan
- proliferation of immune cells
How can infection trigger autoimmunity?
it may damage a cell or tissue barrier, releasing previously sequestered self antigens rendering them accessible to self reactive lymphocytes that may exist.
How can a pathogen cause an autoimmune disease?
A pathogen may produce a molecule that resembles a host protein and once the immune system has raised an immune response to the pathogen the effector cells and antibodies produced may then recognise and attack the similar host structure. This phenomenon is call “molecular mimicry”.
What is an organ specific immune disease?
The autoimmune diseases in which the pathology is restricted to specific organs can be called “organ specific”
What is a systemic specific immune disease?
The autoimmune diseases that involve pathology at many sites throughout the body can be defined as systemic autoimmune diseases.
Why is the effect of organ specific immune disease localised??
The autoantigens which the immune response is targeting are only expressed in one or a few organs and therefore tissue damage will be limited to those locations.
Give an example is an organ specific immune disease?
Type 1 Diabetes
What causes type 1 diabetes?
Caused by an immune response that attacks insulin producing β (beta) cells in the pancreas.
What is the major autoantigen for type 1 diabetes?
Insulin
Why is the effect of systemic autoimmune diseases more spread out?
As Tissue damage can occur a many sites spread throughout the body, wherever the autoantigen is present.
Give an example is a systemic immune disease?
Scleroderma
Rheumatoid arthritis
What is Scleroderma characterised by?
It is characterised by autoantibodies that are produced against ubiquitous autoantigens such as chromatin and components of mRNA processing machinery, which will be present in every cell.
What do some of the important mechanisms that lead to autoimmune diseases depend on>
2 involve autoantibodies, while a third is mediated by autoantigen specific T cells.