Immunology Flashcards
Definition of immunity?
The ability of an organism to resist an infection/toxin by the action of specific antibodies or sensitised white blood cells
What is humoral immunity?
Made up of cells and soluble factors
Characteristics of innate immunity? (4)
Instinctive, non-specific, doesn’t depend on lymphocytes, present from birth
Characteristics of adaptive immunity? (4)
acquired/learned, specific, requires lymphocytes, has antibodies
What are the 3 layers of a blood sample once centrifuged?
Upper - plasma
Middle - buffy coat (leukocytes)
Lower - haematocrit
What does haematopoioesis mean?
Made in the bone marrow
What are some examples of leuokocytes?
Lymphocytes, phagocytes, and auxillary cells
Which cells are classed as lymphocytes?
B cell, T cell, granular lymphocyte
Which cells are characterised as phagocytes?
monocyte, neutrophil, eosinophil
What cells are classed as auxillary cells?
basophils, mast cells, platelets
Which immune cells are mononucelar?
B cell, T cell, monocyte
Which immune cells are polymorphponuclear?
Neutrophil, eosinophil, basophils
What is special about dendritic cells?
It is an antigen presenting cell considered a ‘professional’ at activating lymphocytes
What are neutrophils?
Role in innate immunity (phagocytosis) and have 2 main intracellular granules (primary lysosomes and secondary granules)
What are monocytes?
Role in innate and adaptive immunity (phagocytosis and Ag presenting). They remove any foregin microbes and dead material
What are macrophages?
Role in innate and adaptive immunity (phagocytosis and Ag presenting). Reside in tissues. Recognise and remove self and non-self material –> present Ag to T cells
What are eosinophils?
Role in parasitic infections and allergic reactions. Activate neutrophils –> induces histamine release from mast cells
What are basophils?
Role in immunity to parasitic infections and allergic reactions. Bind to IgE receptor and causes de-granulation which releases histamine
What are T lymphocytes?
Major role in adaptive immunity and recognise antigen presenting cells
Where do T lymphocytes mature?
Thymus - found in blood, lymph nodes, spleen
What are the different types of T lymphocytes?
T helper 1 and 2 (CD4): help immune response for intracellular/extracellular pathogens
Cytotoxic (CD8): able to kill cells directly
T regulatory: regulate immune responses
What are B lymphocytes?
Major role in adaptive immunity and recognise Ag displayed by APCs
Where do B lymphocytes mature? and what do they differentiate into?
Mature in bone marrow, found in blood, lymph nodes, and spleen. Differentiate into plasma cells that make antibodies.
What is the complement?
Group of 20 serum proteins secreted by the liver that need to be activated to be functional. Activated as part of immune response in a cascade.
What are the 3 modes of action of complement?
- direct lysis
- attractng more leukocytes to site of infection (chemotaxs)
- Coating invading organism (opsonisation)
What is an antibody?
Immunoglobulin that binds specifically to antigens and can be soluble or remain on cell surface. Acts as adapter that links a microbe to a phagocyte.
What are cytokines?
Proteins secreted by immune and non-immune cells that effect intracellular communication
What is an interferon?
A type of cytokine that induces a state of antiviral resistance in uninfected cells. Eg. IFNa/b produced by virus infected cells, IFNy released by T cells
What is an interleukin?
A cytokine that is pro-inflammatory (IL1) or anti-inflammatory (IL10). Causes cells to divide and secrete factors
What is a colony stimulating factor?
A cytokine that directs division and differentiation of bone marrow stem cells. Precursor of leukocytes.
What is a tumour necrosis facotr (TNFa/b)?
A pro-inflammatory cytokine that mediates inflammation and cytotoxic reactions
What are chemokines?
Molecules that chemically attract leukocytes
Differences between innate and adaptive immunity?
- innate: 1st line of defence to provide barrier to antigens. adaptive: response to specific antigen
- innate: instinctive, un-learned. adaptive: learnt behaviour
- innate: slow. adpative: quick
- innate: no memory. adaptive: memory to specific antigen
- innate: present from birth. adaptive: acquired
What is innate immunity composed of?
physical and chemical barriers: lysosome in tears, commensals, skin, bronchi, gut, low pH of vagina, flushing of urinary tract
What cells compose the innate response?
Phagocytic cells, blood proteins (complement)
Can innate immunity integrate with adaptive response?
Yes
Does innate immunity depend on lymphocytes?
No
Why is adaptive immunity needed?
When microbes and intracellular viruses evade innate response - memory is needed
What is the difference between cell mediated and humoral resonses in adaptive immunity?
Cell mediated uses T cells for intraceullar microbes. Humoral uses B cells for extracellular microbes
What is the major histocompatibility complex (MHC)?
Displays peptide proteins on cell surfaces to alert invasion
What is the inerlay between APCs and T cells?
intimate cell to cell contact is required to control humoral response and recognise/kill infected cells
What additional things does APC and T cell interaction require?
MHC, intrinsic/endogenous antigens, extrinsic/exogenous antigens
What is T cell selection?
T cells that recognise self material are killed in the fetal thymus
What do T cells respond to?
Presented antigens - receptors recognise foreing antigens usign MHC
What does full activation of T cells require?
co-stimulatory molecules CD8 and CD4
How does CD8 activate T cells?
Uses class I MHC to form proteolytic granules and induce apoptosis
How does CD4 activate T cells?
- APC presents Ag with MHC to CD4 T cell
- High levels of IL-12 turn CD4 T –> CD4 Th1
- Th1 travels to lymphoid tissue and proliferates
- Th1 recognises Ag on infected cells and secretes INFy
- This stips virus spreading and activates macrophages
What do B cells express?
Membrane bound Ig
What happens to B cells that recognise self?
Killed in bone marrow
How do B cells induce phagocytosis?
Present Ag to T cells via MHC:
1. Peptides on surface allow CD4 Th to bind –> Th2
2. Th2 secretes cytokines that cause B cells to divid (clonal expansion) and differentiate into plasma cells and memory B cells
Definition of inflammatory response?
Response to breaching of barriers as a result of tissue damage or infection. Series of reactions that brings immune cells to site of infection/damage
What are 7 stages of inflamamtory response?
- coagulation - stop bleeding
- acute inflammation - recruit leukocytes
- kill pathogens and neutralise toxins - limit pathogen spread
- clear pathogens and dead cells - phagocytosis
- proliferation of cells - repair damage
- remove blood clot to remodel ECM
- re-establish normal structure and function
Which immune cells sense microbes in blood and tissues?
blood: monocytes and neutrophils
tissue: macrophages and dendritic cells
What are PRRs?
pattern recognition receptors
What are PAMPs?
Pathogen associated molecular patterns
How do neutrophils get to site of infection?
complement –> extravasation –> neutrophils become sticky and roll along endothelium –> travel through and along incrwasing concentration gradient of cytokines –> phagocytose
Why do we need innate immunity?
Infections arrive quickly and unpredictably due to continual relationship with pathogens
What is pattern recognition?
Recognition of microbes and viruses using conserved features of them - different families of receptors detect these
Where are PRRs found?
Can be secreted, circulating, or cell associated
What are lectins and collectins?
carbohydrate containing protein PRRs that bind carbohydrates to lipids in microbes. This activates complement and improves phagocytosis
What are pentraxins?
PRRs that react with C protein of pneuomococci and activate complement, improves phagocytosis
What are cell-associated PRRs?
Receptors that are present on cell membrane or in cytosol, mainly TLRs
What are some other examples of membrane bound PRRs?
Mannose receptor, dectin-1, scavenger receptors
Pathology of PRRs?
If they recognise host cells in autoimmunity, failure to recognise pathogens, increased inflammatoy response, Eg. athersclerosis, COPD, IBS
How do PRRs play a role in homeostasis?
Blood neutrophil numbers may depend on TRL4 signalling
What are TLRs?
Type of PRR that recognise exogenous and endogenous damage molecules, activated by appearance of host molecules in unfamiliar context
What does TLR signalling by cellular damage activate?
immunity to initiate repair and enhance antimocrobial signalling
Example of exogenous and endogenous TLR?
TLR4 - exogenous = LPS, pneumolysin, viral proteins. endogenous = heat shock proteins, hyaluronic acid, fibrinogen
How are TLRs used as adjuvants in adaptive immunity?
drive cytokine production to increase likelihood of successful T cell activation
What are NLRs?
Nod-like receptors that detect intracellular microbial pathogens
Example of NLR?
NOD1 and NOD2 - NOD2 recognises breakdown product of peptidoglycan to activate inflammatory signalling pathways.
(Non functioning mutation is Crohn’s)
What are RLRs?
Type of PRR that activate interferon production to enable an antiviral response
What is the Fab region of an antibody?
Variable in sequence and bind to different antigens specifically
What is the Fc region of an antibody?
Common, constant in squence and bind to complement