Immunology Flashcards
Most abundant WBC
neutrophils
Myeloid cells include…
Granulocytes, monocytes, macrophages, and dendritic cells (DCs) represent a subgroup of leukocytes, collectively called myeloid cells.
all blood cells other than lymphocytes are myeloid in origin
Where do lymphocytes come from
(origin)
Lymphocytes are lymphoid in origin.
What ois the immune system
body’s ability to resist or eliminate potentially harmful foreign materials (pathogens)
Immunity
Protection from infectious diseases (by immune system)
Pathogen
any microorganism that causes harm
2 branches of the immune system
Innate immunity
Aquired (adaptive) immunity
What gets in the way before a pathogen can invade a host and cuse infection
Must first attach to and penetrate the surfuce epithelial layers of the body - or other external barriers
Give examples of externeal barriers
Sweat (NaCl/lysozyme), stomach (digestive enzymes/gastric acid), tears/saliva
Summarise/define innate immunity
Always present (ready to attack) however many pathogenic microbes have evolved to resist innate immunity
Summarise/define adaptive immunity
Stimulated by exposure to microbe (more potent)
Give the key characteristics of the innate immune response
e.g. specificity, speed, memory, effect…
- Non-specific
- Can distuingish between human cells and pathogens but not between individual pathogens
- Fast and immediate (first to come into play)
- no memory: will produce the same response
Give the key characteristics of the adaptive immune response
e.g. specificity, speed, memory, effect…
- highly specific
- Distinguishes between pathogens (surface antigens)
- Slower: can take days to develop
- Immunological memory: remembers
How can we sub-divide the innate immune system
- Cellular: phagocytes - Eosinophils, mast cells - basophils
- Humoral: complement - cytokines
Types of phagocyte
monocytes, macrophages, neutrophils, tissue dendritic cells, and mast cells
What do phagocytes do?
function?
Cells of the innate immune system that track down, engulf and destroy bacteria/other pathogens as well as damaged or dead cells.
What do phagocytes contain which allows them to work effectively
lysosomes that are filled with destructive enzyme and chemical to destroy the engulfed pathogens.
Describe neutrophils
Most abundant WBC which tracks down, engulfs and destroys pathogens.
Contains grnaules that are filled with many destructive enzymes that kill and destroy bacteria and other pathogens
What are macrophages a type of
Monocyte (WBC)
Explain/summarises macrophages
Break down pathogens, process antigens and present the processed antigens to the cells of adaptive immunity to produce a specific immune response in the form of Ab and cytotoxic T cells
What do we call macrophages
Antigen Presenting Cells (APC)
Give the stages of phagocytosis
- Movement of phagocyte towards microbe
- Attachment of microbes the phagocyte surface
- Endocytosis of microbe and formation of phagosome
- Fusion of phagosome with lysosome
- Killing of microbe through digestion by enzymes
- Discharge (release) of waste material
What does the lysozyme do
digest bacterial cell wall and has other antimicrobial proteins
How do phagocytes produce their immune response (how do they reach the damamged tissue)
Constantly circulating in bloodstream so can reach any tissue
2 WBC which act as phagocytes
Macrophages and neutrophils
Eosinophil
- Combats parasitic infections
- Involved in allergy and asthma
- Granules contain many enzymes
What are mast cells involved in, and responsible for
Allergy
Give steps of an allergic response
- Immunoglobulin E (IgE) receptor on surfact of mast cell
- IgE antibody bind
- 2 bit end of antibody binds to allergen which activates mast cells
- Mast cell produces histamine (can be considered like a neurotransmitter) which produces different responses in body (as those tissues are able to express a specific receptor which will trigger a tissue-specific response)
What do allergen responses include
Responses include: iitchy skin, water eyes, runny nose, contraction of respiratory ways, dilated blood vessels, gastric acid secretion (stomach)
Basophil
- Contain** large cytoplasmic granules** with inflammatory mediators
- No proven function
- Found in blood/nearby in parasitic infection
What are cytokines, how are they made and what is their function
- Small proteins secreted bu immue and some nonimmue cells in respose to stimulus
- Communicate with other cells
- Bind to specific recepots on these cells producing signalling molecules that lead to many specific biological effects in these cells
- Are key players in innate and aquired immunity
What processes can cytokines be involved in
- Differentiation
- Activation
- Chemotaxis
- Enhancing cytotoxicity (promotes ability of some cells to kill others)
Cooperation within immune system
Cytokines help NKC and phagoctyes communicate
Not sure if need to knwo more???
How do phagocytes and natural killer cells work
together :)
humoral immunity
antibody-mediated immunity. Involves helper T cell and B cells, b lymphocytes mostly involved in production of antibodies
Cellular Immunity
involves phagocytes, cytotoxic T cells, cytokines and chemokines, T lymphocytes mostly involved in cellular response
development of lymphocytes: production
Step 1 of 3: include location
production or synthesis of T/B lymphocytes which usually takes place in the bone marrow
development of lymphocytes: maturation (training)
Step 2 of 3: include location
Acquirement of specific features or structures that enable them to recognise and interact with the pathogens.
TCRs (T cell receptors)
BCRs. (B cell receptors)
Each clone /type of T or B cell can recognise and interact with different and specific pathogen /antigen.
T cell maturation in thymus, B cell maturation in bone marrow
development of lymphocytes: activation
Step 3 of 3: include location
Reaction of lymphocytes with the pathogens to induce an immune response that is specific to that pathogen, in secondary lymphoid organs
3 steps in development of lymphocytes
- Production
- Maturation (training)
- Activation