Immunogenetics Flashcards
Ig receptors, TCRs, class I MHCs, CD4s, CD28s, and ICAM-1 are all members of what receptor family?
Immunoglobulin superfamily
What makes up the BCR?
Surface Ig
2 invariant chains (Igalpha and Igbeta)
What roles do the 2 invariant chains Ig-alpha and Ig-beta play in the BCR?
Ensure surface expression of Ig molecule and function in signal transduction
What makes up the TCR complex?
TCR (alpha and beta chains)
2 CD3 complexes (epsilon/gamma and epsilon/delta)
Zeta chains
At what stage in general lymphocyte development is there growth factor-mediated committment, proliferation, and initiation of antigen receptor gene rearrangement?
From Stem –> pro-lymphocyte –> pre-lymphocyte
At what stage in general lymphocyte development does the following occur:
Selection of cells that express pre-antigen receptors as well as reside in generative organ
Pre-lymphocyte
At what stage in general lymphocyte development does the following occur:
Selection of repertoire and acquisition of functional competence
Immature lymphocyte
During hematopoeisis, what is the most important cytokine for the development of the lymphoid cell lineage?
IL-7
What process involves gene rearrangement events occurring in the absence of antigen?
Clonal selection
Allelic exclusion is __________, meaning it occurs for the specific epitope
Monospecific
What are the 3 major mechanisms for generation of lymphocyte receptor diversity?
Combinatorial diversification (somatic recombination)
Junctional diversity
Somatic hypermutation
What mechanism for generation of lymphocyte receptor diversity involves point mutations occurring in fully assembled V-J and V-D-J regions during an immune response?
Somatic hypermutation
What major mechanism for generation of lymphocyte receptor diversity involves addition of nucleotides during the process of D-J or V to D-J joining?
Junctional diversity
What major mechanism for generation of lymphocyte receptor diversity involves V-J or V-D-J recombination of multiple germline genes?
Combinatorial diversification = somatic recombination
True or false: the mechanisms accounting for immune diversity for BCR/antibodies and TCRs are identical
True
In what receptor type does somatic hypermutation occur?
BCRs ONLY, it does not occur in TCRs
The production of which chains in the T cell correspond to the production of the heavy and light chain in the B cell?
Production of heavy chain in B = Beta chain in T
Production of light chain in B = alpha chain in T
During combinatorial diversification, what is the primary difference between heavy and light chains?
Heavy chain has VDJ and C regions
Light chain has VJ and C regions (no D)
[this is the same in TCR - beta chain has VDJC, alpha chain as VJC]
What are the two loci associated with the BCR light chain and what chromosome are they each associated with?
Ig-kappa chain locus = Chr 2
Ig-lambda chain locus = Chr 22
What chromosome is the H chain locus associated with for the BCR?
Chr 14
During combinatorial diversification in BCRs, which chain forms first?
Heavy
During combinatorial diversification of TCRs, which chain forms first?
Beta
The heavy chain of the BCR corresponds to which Ig by default?
IgM (mu)
Combinatorial diversification in BCRs consists of:
Heavy chain: _____ to ______, followed by ______ to _______ rearrangement
D to J, followed by V to DJ rearrangement
What directs the recombination of gene segments in B cells?
Recombination signal sequences (RSS)
What are the 2 major roles of recombination signal sequences during VDJ recombination?
- Provide recognition sites for recognition enzymes that cut and rejoin DNA
- Ensure gene segments are joined in correct order (especially important for heavy chain since there is D region)
What enzyme is responsible for recombining V, D, and J segments?
VDJ recombinase
What genes, made only by lymphocytes, encode for the two necessary components of the VDJ recombinase enzyme?
Recombination activating genes (RAG-1 and RAG-2)
When would RAG-1 and RAG-2 be expressed in B and T cells?
Only during their developmental stages
[once B cell reaches plasma cell status, RAG 1 and 2 will no longer be expressed]
Junctional diversity allows for more diversity in BCR and TCRs; these mechanisms generate diversity in the ____________ region (idiotype)
Hypervariable
Junctional diversity consists of insertion of a series of nucleotides between D and J segments.
This is catalyzed by what enzyme?
terminal deoxyribonucleotidyl transferase (TdT)
TdT catalyzes the random polymerization of nucleotides into DNA without the need for a template.
______ nucleotides are added to asymmetrically cleaved hairpins in a templated manner.
_______ nucleotides are added in a non-templated manner.
P
N
Recombination between VJ and VDJ is not always perfect. Additional diversity is added by _______ that occur in the recombination events taking place, which can lead to _______________.
It is estimated that these inaccuracies can triple the diversity generated by DJ and VDJ joining.
The diversity generated by these mechanisms occurs in the _________ region
Errors; frameshifts
Hypervariable
At what level of the “central dogma” is VDJ recombination occurring?
DNA; once these segments have been spliced together, they are transcribed into the primary mRNA transcript
The beta chain of the TCR is made first; which chromosome is this chain located on?
Chr 7
On which chromosome would you find the human TCR alpha and delta chain loci?
Chr 14