Immunology Flashcards
Most common class of primary immunodeficiency
Antibody disorders
What type of PID does bacterial infections suggest
antibody deficien
What types PID gets infections with encapsulated organisms
complement and splenic function
Initial investigations in primary immunodeficiency
full blood count
immunoglobulins
serum protein electrophoresis
HIV
addition:
complement (C3,4, CH 100 and AH50)
lymphocyte subsets
urinalysis
Primary immunodeficiency disorders with absent B cells
X-linked agammalobulinaemia and 5-10% of CVID
How to test for functional antibodies
Response to polysaccharide or conjugated vaccination
Clues to phagocyte defect
lung, bones, soft tissue
Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome
Eczema, thrombocytopenia, immunodysfunction
Ataxia-telangiectasia
Defect in the ATM gene (impaired DNA repair)
DiGeorge anomaly
Chromosome 22q11
Thymic defect with cardiac, cleft palet, hypoparathyroidism
Hyper-IgE syndrome (HIES or Job syndrome)
Eczema, skin abscesses, lung infections, eosinophilia and high serum IgE
Primary lymphoid tissue (2)
bone marrow and thymus
Secondary lymphoid tissue
Spleen, lymph nodes, mucosal lymphoid tissue
What T cells does MHC II and MHC I turn on
MHC II CD4
MHC I CD8
Positive selection in T cell production
Selective T cell receptors that weakly recognises the self MHC receptors
What stimulates TH1
IL-12
What does TH1 make and what does it do
Makes interferon gamma
Turns on macrophages, NKC, B cells, immunoglobulin production
The macrophages make IL-1, IL-6, TNF
Purpose of TH2
Targets helminth/parasites
What Thelper is associated with allergy
TH2 (through the production of mast cells)
PAMPs and DAMPs
Patterns that stimulate innate arm of the immune response
Pathogen-associated molecular patterns
- Structures that are never found outside of bacteria/virus/fungus
- E.g. toxins, flagellin, peptidoglycans, LPS, RNA and DNA
Danger associated molecular patterns
There is also HAMPs
Pattern recognition receptors
Part of the innate immune system
Can be membrane bound or soluble
Targets structures that are only expressed on micro-organisms
E.g. C1q, CRP, Mannose binding lectin, TLR4
Triggered by pathogen associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) and danger/damage associated molecular patterns (DAMPs)
Soluble PRRs include antimicrobial peptides
They are also complement activators
- Classical pathway: CRP< C1q
- Lectin pathway: Mannose-bind lectin, Ficolins
- Alternate pathway: Foreign surface (lacking complement control proteins)
Lead to signalling/response or blockade/complement activation
What is cathelicidin LL-37 and what disease pathologies is it involved in
Cathelicidines (LL-37 is the only member in humans) is an antimicrobial peptide (AMPs) produced by circulating cells and epithelial surfaces as a part of the innate immune system.
Cathelicidin LL-37 is overexpressed in psoriasis and underexpressed in atopic dermatitis
Th17 deficiency in CMC (chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis)- failure to secrete defensins-> candida susceptibility
CRP function
innate immune system because it binds to pneumococcus
it arises in acute phase response
mannose-binding lectin (mbl) deficiency
Acute phase protein
Binds widely to iligosaccharids
Complement activation via lectin pathway - cleaves C4 and C2
Opsonin - facilitates uptake by macrophages
MBL deficiency
- quite common (low levels in 8%)
- not severe
- increase susceptibility/severity to a range of diseases
How does lipopolysacchariedes (LPS) signalling cause septic shock
LPS (released by gram negatives) binds CD 14 which binds to toll-like receptor 4, and signals an acute inflammatory mediated event (via TNF, IL6 and other cytokines) where the monocytes churns out more cytokines and causing septic shock
Toll-like receptors function
can be intracellular and extracellular
stimulated by IL-1
act via NF-kappaB which acts on promoter regions on antimicrobial peptides
Also release cytokines/chemokines and expression of co-stimulatory molecules
Gram negative sepsis shock pathophysiology
toll-like receptors
C-type lectins and its role in HIV
A type of PRR. Recognises carbohydrates on pathogens and causes phagocytosis
The dendritic cell captures HIV via DC-SIGN
The dendritic cell goes to the lymph nodes ??? don’t quite understand
Dectin-1 and dectin 2
major receptors for fungae
directs APC to TH17
Intracellular PRRs
TLR
NLD - NOD like receptors
RLR
ALR
NOD-like receptors roles (4)
4 major roles:
- Inflammasome assembly (sense pathogens and danger and fire off caspas-1 that release IL-1 and IL18).
- Signalling NF-kappaB and MAPK (part of the RAS/MEK) pathway
- Induction of MHC-I/II expression
- Autophagy - capture and digest intracellular bacteria
Role of inflammasome in gout
The crystals in gout get phagocytosed. They are recognised by inflammasomes. That turns on caspase-1 and then IL-1 causing acute inflammation
Inflammasomes in Familial Mediterranean Fever
FMF is an autosomal recessive condition that has a gain-of-function mutation in the pyrin gene.
Pyrin is normally inactivated by cytosol homeostasis. However, when the Pyrin inflammasome gets activated (normally does so when there are Bacterial products in the cytosol), it generates IL-1 and IL-18.
Clinical presentation:
Recurrent episodes of fever, raised CRP, inflammation, serositis, arthritis, amyloidosis
It is treated with colchicine, which inhibits microtubule formation and uncouples inflammasome activation.
Crohn’s disease and NOD2
NOD2 is expressed in Paneth cells (in the terminal ileum). It is activated by muramyl dipeptide (MDP) from gut bacteria. NOD2 signals via NFkB and stimulates release of AMPs and autophagy.
A proportion of Crohn’s has mutations in NOD-like receptors (homozygotes have 17.1 increased risk of Crohn’s), resulting in a failure of the intestines to protect itself from microbiota. The failure of autophagy leads to decreased killing of intracellular bacteria and causes formation of granulomas.
Acute phase response induced by 3 monokines
TNF
IL-1
IL-6
What do the 3 acute phase response monokines target
TNF
IL-1
IL-6
Acts on the liver
IL-1
Fever
Stimulates IL-1
What blocks IL-1
anakinra
IL-2
T-cell expansion
what cytokine has a role in inducing a generalised anti-viral state of cellular metabolism i other cells
Type 1 interferons
What releases Type 1 interferons
Plasmocytoid dendritic cells
What detects DNA in cytoplasm
AIM2 inflammasome
cGAS
What simulates inflammasomes
NOD like receptors
What does macrophages differentiate from
monocytes
What cells generate oxygen radicals
macrophages and neutrophils
- they also fuse with lysosomes with antimicrobial enzymes and proteins
what does NADPH oxidase do
generate oxygen radicals to kill microbials
NETosis
neutrophils die by NETosis and extrude DNA webs that trap bugs
ILC - innate lymphoid cells
Derived from lymphoid progenitor
Populate various tissue sites where they police activity
They respond to signals sent by epithelium under stress by producing cytokines
They produce the same cytokines as T-helper cells
The cytokines determine how T-helper cells differentiate
ILC-2 pathology
role in asthma, allergic rhinitis, eosinophilic oesophagitis, atopic dermatitis
allergens process alarment IL-33, turning on ILC-2 which produces IL-4 and turns on Th2
What are NK cells a subset of
ILC-2
What do NK cells do
Kill cell infected by virus and tumour cells
They detect virus infected cells by detecting that the MHC I has been turned off or antibody bound to target cells
They release a lot of inflammatory cytokines (INFapha, IL12, 15, 18)
Release INFgamma which stimulates macrophages and TH1 cells
Difference between NKs and T cytotoxic cells causing cytotoxicity
NK cells respond to a lack of MHCI
T cytotoxic cells senses viral particles which are presented to the surface of the infected cell
chemokines
cytokines that direct the movement of leukocytes
Released from tissue sites and bind chemokine receptors on leukocytes and govern leukocyte migration
What are the 2 receptors required for HIV to enter a T cell
CCR5 and CD4
however it can later mutate to use CXCR4
adhesion cascade
the leukocyte is rolling along activated endothelium
CAM (cell adhesion molecules) bind integrins and cell adhesion molecules
the cell then moves through the endothelium into the tissue itself
Leukocyte adhesion deficiency
Defect in the integrins or deficiency of selections (cannot roll along endothelium)
Present with bad tissue bacterial infections (but with abundant leukocytes in circulation)
what band on protein electrophoresis represents antibodies
gamma band
light chain ratios in humans
2 kappa: 1 lambda
How many hypervariable regions are there in an IgG
12
IgG subclasses
IgG 1-4
What IgG has good blocking function
IgG4
What isotype crosses the placenta
IgG
protects neonates for the first 6 months of life
function of IGA
protection of mucosal surface
what transports IgA
plgR
how does immunisation to tetanus work
by neutralising the toxin
neonatal immunoglobulins
Maternal IgG transported during gestation
Neonates make IgM first then
Neonatal then synthesizes new IgG
Lastly IgA?
Isotypes, allotypes and idiotypes
isotypes are different Igs (IgG, IgM etc)
Allotypes - differences in the constant regions
Idiotypes - variations in the antigen-binding region
where do NK cells develop and what does they come from
fetal liver
ILC/common lymphoid progenitor cells
which antibody chain has diversity segments
Heavy chain but not light chain
They both have V and J
what is a marker in newborn for B-cell primary immunodeficiency
TRECs/KRECs
(quantitivate PCR) for SCID
Pre-B cell receptor
heavy chain pairs with 2 surrogate light chain
sends signalling for further maturation
what antibody is the immature B cell
Immature B cell is derived from the Pre-B cell
It has IgM
What antibodies are on the mature B cell
IgM and IgD (same antigen specificity)
It is naive until it becomes antigen experienced
BAFF and APRIL
expressed on antigen presenting cells
BAFF promotes survival for B cells
Upregulates TLR
Promotes immunoglbulin class switching
Memory B celldifferentiation to plasma cells
What autoimmune diseases are associated with elevated levels of serum BAFF
autoimmune hepatitis, PBC, SLE
monoclonal antibodies: belimumab, atacicept, blisibimod
what are the mechanism action of belimumab, atacicept, blisibimod
inhibitor of BAFF and APRIL to reduce B cell survival and reduce autoreactive B cells in SLE
which locus does antibody class switching occur
In the heavy chain locus, not the VDJ region
What B cell does CLL derive from
memory B cells