Immunology Flashcards
A collective and coordinated protective response to the introduction of a pathogenic organism is known as ____________.
The immune system.
Physical barriers, preformed effectors, induced innate responses such as pattern recognition receptors, inflammation, are part of the _________________.
Innate immunity.
Sites of pathogenic replication include ________ and _______.
Extracellular spaces such as bodily fluids and epithelial surfaces
AND
Intracellular spaces such as cytoplasm and vesicles
Pathogens cause direct and indirect damage via ______________.
Production of exo and endotoxins
Direct cytopathic effect
Three types of innate barriers which prevent pathogens from crossing epithelial surfaces or colonizing tissues are ________, _________, and ____________.
Mechanical
(Tight junctions, air or fluid flow,
mucus)
Chemical
(Low pH, enzymes, antimicrobial
peptides/defensins (Paneth
cells)), and fatty acids.
Microbial
Microbiota/Commensal bacteria
Pathogens must overcome the innate immunity to establish a focus of infection. This happens in what stages?
Penetration of epithelium
Local infection of tissues underneath: inflammatory response
Recruitment of more effector
cells and molecules
Blood clotting.
Epithelial Cells and Phagocytes produce antimicrobial proteins:
Lysozyme: glycosidase
Lectins: Carbohydrate-binding
proteins
RegIII: Pore-formation in bacterial
membrane.
Kills G+ bacteria preferentially.
Defensins: Cationic, amphipathic,
and disrupt bacterial and fungal
membranes via insertion and
pore formation.
Phagocytes do what to pathogens?
Recognize, ingest, and kill pathogens.
Types of phagocytes?
Macrophages and Monocytes, or “Large eaters”
Neutrophils: Loaded first responder
Where are monocytes found?
In the blood
Where are macrophages found and what are their functions?
Found in tissues.
Main functions are to destroy pathogens and activate the immune responses via inflammation activation and antigen presentation.
Name the different forms of macrophages through the bodily tissues.
Liver: Kupffer cells
Lung: Alveolar Macrophages
Spleen: Splenic macrophages
Brain: Microglia
Where are neutrophils found and what are their primary functions?
Neutrophils, or PMN’s (polymorphonuclear leukocytes) are phagocytes that mainly target bacteria and fungi via releasing antimicrobial peptides and by the release of NETS (extracellular traps)
The neutrophils contain granulocytes which contain various granules containing antimicrobial peptides, chemicals, and enzymes.
Phagocytosis can be triggered via the direct recognition of the pathogen and by the recognition of opsonin. How does this function>
Soluble proteins binding to the surface of pathogens are called opsonin and mark them for destruction (opsonization)
Define the basic processes of phagocytosis:
Innate immune system recognizes pathogenic microbes. Pathogenic microbes may be marked for destruction or opsonization. Phagocytes bind to the receptors/antigens and the pathogen is pulled inward (endocytosed), where the pathogen + vesicle complex is called a phagosome.
The phagosome containing the pathogen with lysosome form the phagolysosome.
Lysosomes contain antimicrobial peptides, chemicals, and enzymes.
Question: In patients with lymphomas, the cancer cells invade the bone marrow and destroy the environment required for normal hematopoesis. The leads to bone marrow failure, which disrupts the production of hematopoietic cell lineages. All of the follow cell types would be affected by this EXCEPT:
A. Red blood cells
B. Endothelial cells
C. Lymphocytes
D. Dendritic cells
E. Granulocytes,
B. Endothelial cells
Name the preformed molecules which aid in the innate immune system:
Lysozyme, lectins
Antimicrobial peptides (such as
defensins)
Complement system
Recognition
Effector
The complement system is composed of (how many?) ____ proteins.
More than 30.
The complement system is composed of soluble _____ and ____ molecules.
Soluble PRR (pattern recognition receptors) AND effector molecules.
With the complement system, the soluble proteins are circulating where?
In the blood and bodily fluids.
True or false: some of the complement system exists as protease zymogens (inactive enzymes) that are activated via proteolytic cascades.
True.
Is the complement system slow or fast in its response time?
Rapid response time.
What is a protease?
A protein enzyme that cuts another protein.
The complement system consists of three pathways. Name them and briefly describe them.
Classical pathway: pathogen or
pathogen-antibody complex
Lectin pathway: carbohydrates on
pathogen surface
Alternative pathway: Amplification
and spontaneous iteration of
response
What is the general flow of the complement system?
Stages of complement action:
1. Pattern-recognition trigger
2. Protease cascade
amplification/C3 convertase
3. Inflammation
3.1 Phagocytosis
3.2 Membrane attack
All complement pathways lead to what formation?
C3 convertase
c3b and c4b are
opsonins
NK cells recognize and kill what kind of cells?
Human cells, both damaged and infected.
They do NOT kill pathogens by seeking them out.
These cells search out for HUMAN cells.
Granule dependent and death-receptor dependent.
Antigen is not important due to placement of polymorphic spot on receptor.
What is a zymogen?
Inactivated protease.
What is an inactivated protease called?
A zymogen
What is proteolytic cleavage?
Proteolytic cleavage is when proteases cleave other proteins.
What is a proteolytic cascade?
A cascade of proteases cleaving each other via via proteolysis.
Classical Pathway involves what protein complex?
C1q binding to pathogen surface.
Lectin Pathway involves what complex?
MBL and ficolin (Mannose binding lectin) binds to the carbohydrates on pathogen surfaces.
Alternative pathway involves what?
Amplification and spontaneous activation. Involves C3 spontaneously and without cue undergoing hydrolysis.
All pathways generate a C3 convertase. But… what IS the function of C3 convertase?
The C3 convertase, or Complement-3-convertase, is a protease which cleaves C3, or Complement-3 proteins.
The cleavage generates a short strand (C3a) and long strand (C3b). C3b binds to the pathogen surface.
What happens to pathogens tagged with a C3b?
Phagocytes have multitudes of receptors, some of which bind to C3b. This is the CR1 receptor, or Complement-Receptor-1.
Pathogens with a large amount of C3b on their surface are consequently bound to the phagocyte at the CR1 receptor.
When C5a binds to a C5a receptor, the bound pathogen is then endocytosed and consequently phagocytosed.
What purpose do C3a and C5a have as they freely float about?
C3a and C5a recruit phagocytic cells to the site of infection and promote inflammation.
Specifically, cleaved C3a and C5a activate epithelial cells and mast cells.
Mast cells consequently release cytoplasmic granules containing vasoactive histamines and increase the permeability of blood vessels.
What is the composition of a C3 convertase?
C4b2a, or C4b + C2a.
What is the composition of C5 convertase?
C4b2a3b OR C4b + C2a + C3b
Describe the processes of the formation of the membrane attack complex (MAC).
- After C5 is cleaved by C5 convertase, soluble C5b binds to C6 and C7.
- C5b67 complexes bind to the membrane via the C7 component.
- C8 then binds and inserts into the membrane.
- C9 consequently binds and polymerizes 10-16 units of other C9.
- Leads to pore formation in the pathogen. Think of a fucking green pipe from Super Mario.
Hole in pathogen. Pathogen leaks, shit rushes in, pick your flavor of its inevitable death.
What is a cytokine?
‘Cytokine’ is a term for any protein secreted by immune cells that affects the
behavior of nearby cells bearing appropriate receptors.
Pattern Recognition Receptors (PRR’s) recognize what?
Pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPS)
Four canons of inflammation:
Pain
Redness
Heat
Swelling