Immunology

Question 1

Does the immune system need to discriminate from non-self?

Answer 1

Yes.

Question 2

What are the characteristics of innate immunity?

Answer 2

Instinctive, non-specific, does not depend on lymphocytes and present from birth, primitive, does not depend on immune recognition, no memory and integrates with adaptive response.

Question 3

What are the characteristics of adaptive immunity?

Answer 3

Specific (acquired/learned) immunity, requires lymphocytes and involves antibodies.

Question 4

What do innate and adaptive immunity have in common?

Answer 4

Are both made up of cells and soluble factors (humoral).

Question 5

What are Polymorphonuclear leukocytes?

Answer 5

Immune cells that have granules with enzymes. Examples are neutrophils, eosinophils and basophils.

Question 6

What are mononuclear leukocytes?

Answer 6

A type of mononucleated WBCs. Examples are monocytes, T-cells and B-cells.

Question 7

Where do monocytes go before differentiating into macrophages?

Answer 7

They leave the blood and go into tissue.

Question 8

Complement system

Answer 8

A series of about 20 serum proteins secreted by the liver that need to be activated to be functional.

Question 9

What is the only way the complement system can be activated?

Answer 9

Can only be activated as part of the immune response. The 3 pathways are direct lysis, attract more leukocytes to the site of infection and coat invading organism.

Question 10

What are the 5 distinct classes of antibodies?

Answer 10

IgG, IgA, IgM, IgD and IgE

Question 11

What are cytokines?

Answer 11

Proteins secreted by the immune system and non-immune cells. Help other cells to become resistant to viral infections.

Question 12

What are the 5 types of cytokines?

Answer 12

Interferons (IFN), interleukins (IL), colony stimulating factor, tumour necrosis factors, chemokines.

Question 13

What are interferons (IFN) used for?

Answer 13

To fight antiviral infection.

Question 14

What are interleukins (IL) used for?

Answer 14

Can cause cells to divide, to differentiate and to secrete factors.

Question 15

What are colony stimulating factors used for?

Answer 15

Division and differentiation of bone marrow stem cells.

Question 16

What are tumour necrosis factors used for?

Answer 16

Mediate inflammation and cytotoxic reactions.

Question 17

What are chemokines used for?

Answer 17

Leukocyte chemo attractants.

Question 18

What is the innate immune system composed of?

Answer 18

Physical and chemical barriers, phagocytic cells (neutrophils and macrophages) and blood proteins (complement, acute phase)

Question 19

What are the steps of the inflammatory response?

Answer 19

Stop bleeding (coagulation), acute inflammation (leukocyte recruitment), kill pathogens, neutralise toxins, limit pathogen spread, clear pathogens, proliferation of cells, remove the blood clot, re-establish normal structure/function of tissue

Question 20

What is inflammation?

Answer 20

A series of reactions that brings cells and molecules of the immune system to sites of infection or damage.

Question 21

What are the hallmarks of inflammation?

Answer 21

Increased blood supply, increased vascular permeability, increased leukocyte trans-endothelial migration ‘extravasation’.

Question 22

Definition of phagocytosis

Answer 22

A cellular process for ingesting and eliminating particles larger than 0.5 μm in diameter.

Question 23

What are the steps of phagocytosis mediated by opsonic receptors?

Answer 23

Binding, engulfment, phagosome formation, lysosome fusion, membrane disruption/fusion, secretion and antigen presentation.