Immunological Principles

Question 1

Organs, cells, proteins, and other molecules comprise the ___________ ___________.

Answer 1

Immune system

Question 2

True or false? The immune system is poor at adapting.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Which first line of defence does the following describe? ‘Also called the natural immune system, non-specific, with phagocytic cells and chemical mediators promote to an inflammatory response, and concentrates cells of immune system at requisite sites in the body. It has no memory’.

Answer 3

Innate immune system

Question 4

State three features of the adaptive immune system.

Answer 4

Second line of defence, has memory, and produces highly-specific antibodies

Question 5

Humeral immunity refers to the immune response mediated by ___________.

Answer 5

Antibodies

Question 6

Cellular immunity is mediated directly by cells of the immune system, such as macrophages, ___-lymphocytes, and natural killer (NK) cells

Answer 6

T

Question 7

__________ (immunogens) are substances that are capable of inducing a specific immune response

Answer 7

Antigens

Question 8

True or false? The larger the antigen, the stronger its immunogenic properties are.

Answer 8

True

Question 9

Antigens may have many epitopes, leading to antibodies with different specificity and sensitivity. What is the definition of an epitope?

Answer 9

Antigenic determinant

Question 10

___ antigens are lipoproteins.

Answer 10

Rh

Question 11

_________ (gammaglobulins or immunoglobins (Igs)) are substances that are produced in response to immunogenic stimulation, and are capable of specific interaction with the provoking antigen.

Answer 11

Antibodies

Question 12

State the five classes of antibodies.

Answer 12

IgA, IgD, IgE, IgG, and IgM

Question 13

True or false? Antibodies bind to a specific antigen.

Answer 13

True

Question 14

____ (~80% of total serum Igs) is a monomer, and smaller than an IgM, with two binding sites. It appears later in the immune response, and can cross placentae, as well as being present in all body fluids.

Answer 14

IgG

Question 15

___(~6% of total serum Igs) is shaped like a pentamer, and is larger than an IgG, with ten binding sites. It is a forerunner in immune response, and cannot cross blood, placentae, and lymph.

Answer 15

IgM

Question 16

IgA is often found in _________.

Answer 16

Secretions

Question 17

The basic immunoglobin unit is composed of _______ polypeptide chains; two are identical light chains, the other two are identical heavy chains.

Answer 17

Four

Question 18

Heavy chains denote ____ classes.

Answer 18

Ig

Question 19

Light chains have only two factions: ______ and lambda (Λ).

Answer 19

Kappa (k)

Question 20

The _____ fragment is the part of the antibody that binds to antigens, and is also the site of variable amino acid sequence occurrences.

Answer 20

Fab

Question 21

The ___ fragment is where complement binds, together with anti-human globulin serum (anti-IgG).
Amino acid sequences in this area are constant, and unchanging among antibodies.

Answer 21

Fc

Question 22

The ________ immune response follows an initial exposure to an antigen, and is of short duration and low magnitude.

Answer 22

Primary

Question 23

Secondary responses follow repeated exposure and are of longer duration and ________ magnitude.

Answer 23

Greater

Question 24

IgG antibodies are the _____ clinically significant, together with those that react at 37 degrees Celsius

Answer 24

Most

Question 25

____ antibodies found in transfusion science are often ‘naturally-occurring’.

Answer 25

IgM

Question 26

_______ antibodies, such as those of environmental origin, include Anti-A and Anti-B.

Answer 26

Natural

Question 27

Immune antibodies are formed following a ________ or a pregnancy, through an immune response.

Answer 27

Transfusion

Question 28

________ antibodies are a mixture of antibodies, secreted against a specific antigen, each recognising a different epitope, and are made by a number of B-cell clones (heterogenous).

Answer 28

Polyclonal

Question 29

True or false? Human-made antibodies against blood group antigens tend not to be polyclonal.

Answer 29

False

Question 30

Monoclonal antibodies are identical _________, directed against a specific epitope on an antigen.

Answer 30

Antibodies

Question 31

Complete antibodies are capable of agglutinating cells suspended in ________.
Generally, IgM are complete.

Answer 31

Saline

Question 32

Incomplete antibodies attach to the cell surface, but do not cause agglutination;
______ are generally incomplete.

Answer 32

IgG

Question 33

What component of the immune system plays a leading role in cell lysis, opsonisation (coating of a foreign substance with complement to facilitate phagocytosis), production of split products, and anaphylaxis?

Answer 33

Complement

Question 34

Name the three pathways by which complement may be activated.

Answer 34

Classic, lectin, and alternative

Question 35

‘Activation of C1 leads to activation of C2 and C4. This leads to the activation of C3 (forms C3a and C3b). This activates C. This leads to the activation of C6, C7, C8, and C9, and the formation of the MAC. The end result is lysis of the target cell, or if the entire pathway is not activated, sensitisation of the target cells will happen. Sensitisation is the coating of an RBC with an antibody, complement, or both’. Which pathway does the passage outline?

Answer 35

Classic

Question 36

What does the acronym ‘MAC’ represent?

Answer 36

Membrane attack complex

Question 37

True or false? For commencement, all three pathways require antigen-antibody interactions.

Answer 37

False; only the classic pathway requires such an interaction

Question 38

Complement can cause the in vivo destruction of _____, following an incompatible transfusion, if the antibody involved can bind complement.

Answer 38

RBC

Question 39

Very few antibodies, such as Anti-___ and Anti-B, together with some rare antibodies, can cause a complete activation of the MAC.

Answer 39

A

Question 40

All blood group antibodies, except ___ and MN antibodies, can activate the initial steps of the complement cascade

Answer 40

Rh

Question 41

Antigen-antibody interactions cause activation of the first component of the classical pathway, ____.

Answer 41

C1q

Question 42

During a negative antigen-antibody interaction, in-vivo ________ occurs, whereby rupture of RBC in the bloodstream occurs intravascularly.

Answer 42

Haemolysis

Question 43

Extravascular haemolysis occurs when _________ of RBC by macrophages occurs, and involves antibodies unable to activate the whole complement cascade

Answer 43

Phagocytosis

Question 44

Haemagglutination occurs in two phases: __________ and agglutination.

Answer 44

Sensitisation

Question 45

True or false? Zeta potential is the electric potential across a solid liquid interface.

Answer 45

True

Question 46

‘In RBC, the net potential is produced by the negative charges on the cell surface, and the positive charges in a cloud of cations forming a layer over the surface. It is responsible for a repelling force between RBC that resists agglutination’. To which potential does this passage refer?

Answer 46

Zeta

Question 47

Hydration and surface tension involves __________ heads of phospholipids, which attract and orient water molecules, creating a surface effect.

Answer 47

Hydrophilic

Question 48

State four factors which impact antigen-antibody reactions.

Answer 48

Temperature, pH, ionic strength, and zygosity