Immunology Flashcards
What are the physiological functions of mucosal tissues?
Gas exchange
Food absorption (vitamin absorption and production)
Sensory activities
Reproduction
As well as portals of entery for pathogens, mucosal surfaces are also portals of entry for non pathogenis antigens. T of F?
True. Things like food.
What type of epithilium lines the small intestine?
Single columnar epithilium
Define transcellular and paracellular
Transcellular = transport through a cell eg glucose from the lumen to the blood Paracellular = transport between cells- in the interstitail fluid
What are the mucosal organs of the human?
Salivary gland, mamory gland, kindeys, Uterus, bladder and vagina
What are the mucosal surfaces of the body?
Conjunctiva, oral cavity, Trachea, sinus, lungs, oesophagus, stomach, lange and small intestines uterus, bladder and vagina
An immune response at one mucosal site can initiate an immune response at all mucasal sites?
Yes
What are the secondary lymphiod tissues?
Lymph nodes and spleen
What are the primary lymphiod tissues?
Bone marrow and thymus
Where are lymph nodes located?
All mucosal surfaces
How do dendritic cells enter lymph nodes?
Afferent lymph vessels
How do T and B lymphocytes enter lymph vessels?
In the blood
Where do antigen presenting cells go when they first enter the lymph node?
Paracortical area and look for a T cell with a TCR complementary to the MHC class 2 protein and peptide antigen
Where are classical lymph nodes found?
In the messentary- not the gut wall
What is an intra epithilial lymphocyte?
CD8+ T lymphocytes
Where are the antigens detected in the small intestine?
Peyers patch
Where are the antigens detected in the large intestine?
Isolated lymphoid follicle
Where iare the immune effector functions taking place in the gut?
Lamina propria
What effector cells can be found in the lamina propria?
All the immune cells from the blood
How do antigen presenting dendritic cells get to lymph nodes in the mesentary?
Afferent lymph vessels
What epithilium covers the peyer’s patch?
Dome epithilium
What are M cells and where are they found?
M cells are ‘microvilli’ cells as they increase the surface area for sampling antigens. Found just above the peyer’s patch interspersed in the epithilial cells
Where are dendritic cells found in the Peyer’s patch?
Directly under M cells with dendritic processes within the M cells
When a dendritic cell presents an antigen with in the peyer’s patch, what happens next?
Activates T cells partially which then travel to lymph nodes in the messentry to be fully activateand then directed back to the lamina propria of the intestine.
Are germinal centres present in peyer’s patches?
Yes
How do M cells take up antigens from the lumen and how do they become bound to dendritic cells?
Endocytosis or phagocytosis. It is transported across the M cell in vesicles and released at the basal surface where the antigen is bound to dendritic cells
Can dendritic cells extend processes across the epithilial layer to directly capture antigens from the lumen of the gut withiut an M cell?
Yes. This happens in the lungs and GI tract
What are the immune cells of the epithilial layer in the gut?
Dendritic cells
CD8+ T lymphocytes are intraepithilial lymphocytes
What are the immune cells of the lamina propria?
Dendritic cells, Macrophages, CD4+ T cells, Mast cells, Plasma cells, IgA
What are plasma cells?
Termiinally differentiated B cells which produce antibodies
What directs unactivated T cells into the Peyer’s patch from blood vessels?
Homing receptors CCR7 and L-selectin
How do activated T cells in the mesenteric lymph nodes get back to the gut where the infection is?
Drain into the thoracic duct and enter the blood stream via the left venous angle.
The activated T cells express alpha4 beta 7 integrin and CCR9 which hone on the lamina propria
What molecules does the endothilium in the get express which enables activated T cells to bind and transendothilially migrate into the lamina propria?
MAdCAM-1
MA = Molecular adressin
Activated T cells in the lamina propria migrate to the gut epithilial cells due to what?
Chemokines expressed by the epithilial cells which the activated T cells have receptors for
MAdCAM is also found in the vasculature of other mucosal sites. What are the implications for this?
An immune response in the gut will also produce an immune response at other mucosal sites because the lymphocytes primed in the gut can migrate
There is a unified reirculation compartment meaning there is a common mucosal immune system. T or F?
True
What is the beifit of the common mucosal immune system for babies?
The antibodies and being produced in response to the pathogens in the mothers gut can be transferred to the baby for passive immunity through breast milk
What challenges does the mucosal immune system present?
Vaccine development. Hard to create a vaccine that is given systemically that will elicit a mucosal response. Eg HIV for which the primary infection site is the urogenital tract.
Which antibodies are produced by the mucosal response in the gut?
80% IgA
15% IgM
5% IgG
What is special about mucosal IgA?
IgA1:IgA2 ratio is 3:2 (its 10:1 in peripheries)
IgA2 is less prone to cleavage by enzymes than IgA1
IgA is a dimer in mucosal tissue and a monomer
in periferies
What is the J chain?
Joining chain connecting 2 IgA monomers to produce a dimer
How is IgA secreted into the lumen?
IgA dimer released from plasma cells in the lamina propria binds to the poly Ig receptor on the basolateral surface of epithilial cells.
The antibody receptor complex is endocytosed and travels to the apical membrane where it is released with the a secretory component
What is the function of the secretory component of IgA?
It wraps around the hinge region which is most prone to enzymatic cleavage. Protects the IgA.
What is the functions of sIgA in the gut?
1) Bind and neutralise pathogens and toxins in the lumen
2) Bind and neutralise antigensin internalised endosomes
3) Export toxins from the lamina propria while being excreted
The IgA secreted by plasma cells is specific to what?
The antigens that were detected in the peyer’s patch
1 in 300 people are IgA deficient in Tayside. Why are they asymptomatic?
IgM can replace IgA because the poly Ig receptor on the basolateral membrane of epithilial cells can also bind IgM because it is a polyer too (pentemer)
Intraepithilial lymphocytes are mostly CD8+ T cells. What are the featres of these cells?
Fully activated for killing (no cytokines required)
Restricted antigen receptors so are very specific
What immune cell is responsible for coelliac disease?
Intraepithilial lymphocytes