Immunology Flashcards
What is an immune response against self cells called?
Autoimmunity
What is an immune response against non-harmful cells called?
Hypersensitivity
What is caused by an under-reaction of the immune system?
Cancer and infection
What occurs during Car-T cell therapy?
A persons own T cells are genetically modified to target specific cancer cells and reinserted in to fight off cancer
What are the 2 types of immunity?
Innate immunity - generic and rapid
Acquired immunity - unique and slow
How does the skin act as a physical barrier against pathogens?
It is composed of tightly packed, highly-keratinised cells that are sloughed off and constantly renewed
How does the skin act as a physiological barrier against pathogens?
It is acidic and has a pH of 5.5
What substances are produced by the sebaceous glands to protect against pathogens?
Hydrophobic oils
Lysozymes
Ammonia
Antimicrobial peptides
How does the nose and throat protect against pathogens?
They have ciliated epithelium and produce mucus to trap pathogens and move them out of the body or into the stomach
How does a pathogen stimulate an immune response?
They express Pathogen Associated Molecular Patterns (PAMPs)
How do innate immune cells detect pathogens?
They have Pattern-Recognition Receptors (PRRs) on their cell surface for detection of pathogens
What are the 3 modes of ingestion by macrophages?
Pinocytosis
Receptor-mediated endocytosis
Phagocytosis
What occurs during phagocytosis by macrophages?
Macrophages’ PRRs bind to the pathogens PAMP
The pathogen is ingested into a phagosome in the cytoplasm
Lysosomes fuse with the phagosome and release hydrophilic enzymes and acid to digest the pathogen
What is expressed after phagocytosis by macrophages?
Pathogen derived peptides are expressed on MHC-II molecules on the cell surface membrane
What are released during phagocytosis by macrophages?
Pro-inflammatory mediators e.g. TNFα (Tumour necrosis factor)
What is opsonisation?
The coating of pathogens by soluble factors (opsonins) to enhance phagocytosis
What are some example of opsonins?
C3b
C-reactive protein
IgG/IgM (Immunoglobulin G/M)
What type of immune cells are used to destroy large pathogens such as parasites?
Mast cells
In what 2 ways do mast cells react to pathogens?
Degranulation - release of pre-formed substances from granules e.g. histamines
Gene expression - Production of new inflammatory substances e.g. leukotrienes and prostaglandins
What are the 5 cardinal signs of inflammation?
Rubor - Redness
Calor - Heat of extremities
Tumor - Swelling
Dolor - Pain
Function laesa - Loss of function
What causes redness and heat during inflammation?
Localised vasodilation causes increased blood flow and metabolism, resulting in heat production
What causes swelling?
The endothelium of post capillary venues becomes more permeable, so immune cells and excess fluid moves in
What molecules are present on the endothelial cells to recruit neutrophils?
Platelet-Endothelial Cell Adhesion Molecules (PECAMs)
What name is given to the recruitment and activation of neutrophils?
Transendothelial migration
How does vasodilation allow transendothelial migration to occur?
Vasodilation results in a decrease in blood flow rate, meaning neutrophils are travelling slow enough to move to the edges of the blood vessels (margination), bind to PECAMs and then move into the endothelium (Diapedesis)
What attracts neutrophils into the Tunica intima?
Chemicals released by the bacteria
What is an example of a PECAM?
ICAM-1 (Intercellular Adhesion Molecule) A.K.A CD54 (Cluster of Differentiation 54)
What are the 3 methods of pathogen destruction by neutrophils?
Phagocytosis
Degranulation
Neutrophil Extracellular Traps
What are the 2 methods of phagocytosis by neutrophils?
Phagolysosomal killing
ROS-dependant killing
What occurs during Phagolysosomal killing by neutrophils?
The neutrophil engulfs the pathogen into a phagosome
Specific granules, azurophilic granules and lysosomes bind to the phagosome
What occurs during ROS-dependant killing?
A Reactive Oxygen Species (NADPH oxidase complex) is assembled in the lysosome walls and is then released into the phagolysosome
What occurs in degranulation of neutrophils?
Anti-bacterial proteins are released from the granules of the neutrophils, into the extracellular milieu
What is a Neutrophil Extracellular Trap?
At the end of their life, neutrophils will release their chromatin and DNA to form a sticky trap to catch bacteria
What is the acute phase response?
A hepatocyte mediated response in which concentrations of specific proteins are changed. It is driven by pro-inflammatory mediators released by the activated macrophages
What is the function of C reactive protein?
It primes certain bacteria for destruction and plays a role in determining severity and duration of inflammation
What do virally infected cells produce and release in response to infection?
α and ß Interferon
What are the 3 functions of Interferon?
They signal neighbouring cells to destroy RNA and reduce protein synthesis to prevent viral replication
They signal neighbouring cells to undergo apoptosis
They activate immune cells such as natural killer cells
What is the function of a MHC-I (Major HistoCompatibility class I) receptor?
They survey proteins produced by the cell and present fragments of peptides produced by the cell
How does a virus affect the presentation of MHC-I receptors?
They prevent the formation or presentation of MHC-I receptors so that they won’t present non-self proteins
What 2 signals are required for the activation of B cells?
Antigens
Helping signals
Where in the lymph nodes does B cell activation occur?
In the germinal centre
What is the first type of antibody to be produced by short-lived B plasma cells?
IgM antibodies
How can some B cells mutate to improve the immune reaction?
They can switch from low to high affinity antibody production
They can switch the class of antibody that they produce, such as from IgM to IgG
They can differentiate into long-lived plasma cells or long-lived memory B cells
What 2 processes occur in the germinal centre reaction?
Proliferation (reproduction)
Differentiation
What occurs in a somatic hypermutation response?
The mutation of antibodies to allow for a tighter fit to protein antigens
What are the 2 signals required for most activation by non-protein antigens?
Non-protein antigen
Pathogen Associated Molecular Pattern (PAMP)
What are repetitive antigenic epitomes?
A large number of the same B cell receptor to the same antigen
What is required to activate a B cell containing repetitive antigenic epitomes?
Many copies of the antigen without the need for the PAMP
What are the characteristics of a non-protein antigenic response?
Only low-affinity antibodies produced
Only short-lived plasma cells produced
No B memory cells
What 2 stimuli are required to activate a B cell, when a protein antigen is present?
The protein antigen
T-h cell (CD4+ T cell) stimulation
What types of MHCs do B cells express?
Both class I and class II as they can phagocytose a pathogen and splay its antigens
How do T - Follicular Helper cells activate B cells?
T-fh cells have a receptor complementary to the MHC-II and protein antigen complex
This causes the T-fh cell to release co-stimulatory molecules that re-activate B cells
What happens to a B cell after it has been activated by a T-fh cell?
It proliferates and more T-fh activate the further copies of the B cells
They then differentiate to form long-lived B plasma cells
What is the complement system?
A system of low level, inactive proteins that circulate in the blood. When activated, they trigger a chain reaction that amplifies to produce a large response to a pathogen
What does the complement system promote?
Opsonisation
Direct killing
Acute inflammation
Leukocyte recruitment