Immunology / hemolymphatics Flashcards
Physiology (1 -> 60) - from Ninjanerd videos / notes and VECCademy power point - try to study in order
Classification of immune system
Components of immune system
Innate Immunity
Physical barriers and biologic processes that prevent infection
- Skin, MM, stomach acid, antimicrobial peptides
Specific cells
- PRRs on them bind compounds that are specific to microorganisms and trigger immune response - Pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs)
- Neutrophils
- Macrophages
- Natural killer cells
Acquired / Adaptive immunity
- Antigens activate T or B lymphocytes
- B lymphocytes differentiate into plasma cells and release antibodies that attack the antigen (humoral immunity)
- T lymphocytes produce receptors specific to the antigen and destroy it (cellular immunity)
- Small numbers of T and B cells persist as memory cells that “remember” that antigen -> quicker response if same antigen encountered again
The players of immune system
Granulocytes (aka polymorphonuclear leukocytes)
- Neutrophils
- Eosinophils
- Basophils/Mast cells
Lymphocytes
- B cells
- T cells
Monocytes/Macrophages
Granulocytes
Neutrophils
- First responders, phagocytosis of microbes
- Contain granules with proteases and defensins
- Cell membrane contains NADPH oxidase which produces ROS
- Release cytokines and other inflammatory mediators
- Can act as APCs in the spleen
Eosinophils
- Large numbers in GIT, respiratory and urinary mucosa
- Weak phagocytosis, hydrolytic enzymes, ROS, larvacidal polypeptide called major basic protein.
Basophils
- Granules contain histamine, heparin and other inflammatory mediators
- Involved in hypersensitivity reactions
Mast cells
- Granules contain proteoglycans, proteases, heparin and histamine
- Respond to allergens and parasites
Lymphocytes
B lymphocytes
- Become plasma cells and memory B cells
T lymphocytes
- Cytotoxic T cells
- Helper T cells - Type 1 and Type 2
- Suppressor T cells
- Memory T cells
Lymphocytes - B cells and immunoglobulins function
B cells differentiate into plasma cells that produce and release antibodies - immunoglobulins
Immunoglobulins functions:
Agglutination
Precipitation
Neutralization
Lysis
Lyse cell membranes
Opsonization - activation of complement system
Lymphocytes - immunoglobulins structure
- Made of light and heavy polypeptide chains
- Each chain has a variable portion that determines specificity of the antibody for antigens
- Each chain has a constant portion that determines things like diffusivity into tissues, adherence to structures within tissues, attachment to complement…
What is inflammation
Inflammation is some type of tissue damage/tissue infliction that initiates a set of vascular and cellular/molecular events that are designed to:
o Clean up any type of
▪ Cellular debris
▪ Infectious organisms/pathogens
o Initiate repair
Causes of inflammation
Physical trauma
Chemical trauma
Infectious microorganisms
o Bacteria
o Virus
o Fungi
o Parasites
Sunlight and burns
Characteristics of an antigen
Immunogenic
o Activate certain types of immune cells
▪ In response to that → immune cells start proliferating
Reactive
o Actual immune cells, specifically B cells can produce antibodies against the antigen
Incomplete antigens (hapten)
Example
o Poison ivy
o Poison oak
▪ Urushiol oil
Whenever these antigens get into the skin → bind with skin protein
o The antigen now becomes a complete antigen → Causes rash that we see with poison ivy
Examples of antigens
• Sugar molecules
• Protein molecules
• Glycoprotein
Inflammatory response - vascular events step 1
Whenever the endotoxins damage mast cells or activate the receptors on mast cells
o Mast cell can initiate a specific type of inflammatory response
▪ Sends signal to the nucleus
o Mast cell starts releasing tons of molecules
▪ Histamine - most important
▪ Leukotrienes
▪ Prostaglandins
There are plasma proteins from hemostasis
o Clotting protein → clotting factor XII
▪ Specific enzyme that converts prekallikrien →kallikrein
• Kallikrein gets into the tissue space
Inflammatory response - vascular events step 2
Another protein inside the tissue space → kininogen
o Kallikrein converts kininogen → bradykinin
▪ Kallikrein comes from thrombin
Kininogen can be circulating in bloodstream naturally and leak into tissue spaces due to
o High hydrostatic pressure
o Gaps present between the endothelial cells
Inflammatory response - vascular events step 3 - AA cascade
Whenever there’s any type of damage to cell membrane
o Cell membrane is phospholipid
o Phospholipids are being utilized
▪ There is an enzyme called phospholipase A2
▪ Phospholipase A2 starts breaking down phospholipids → arachidonic acid
Arachidonic acid (AA) will be converted by 2 enzymes
o Lipoxygenase → converts AA into leukotrienes
▪ Leukotriene C4
▪ Leukotriene D4
o Cyclooxygenase (COX1 or COX2) → converts AA into prostaglandin and thromboxane A2
▪ PGE2
▪ PGI2
▪ PGF2
Inflammatory response - vascular events step 4 - molecules
All these molecules (PG, leukotrienes, histamines and bradykinin) have things in common: they will work on endothelial cells and activate them:
1) P-selectin release
▪ Inside of the cell, there are preformed granules (Weibel-Palade bodies)
▪ These granules start migrating into the cell membrane surface -> they put the proteins up on the cell membrane → P-selectins
2) Causes the endothelial cells to contract
▪ When they contract → big gaps between the epithelial cells
▪ A lot of plasma can start leaking out through the intercellular clefts
▪ If plasma keeps leaking out - fluid starts accumulating in the interstitial space → swelling (edema)
Inflammatory response - vascular events step 5 - pain
Remember there are lots of pain receptors (nociceptors) in the tissues
o As the fluid in the space starts increasing:
→ Starts compressing the nociceptors
→ Activate the nociceptor and causes pain -> pain can also be caused by increased vascular permeability indirectly.
o Bradykinin also activates the nociceptors
Inflammatory response - vascular events - step 6 - heat & redness
Remember there are smooth muscles around the endothelial cells.
The histamines, leukotrienes, prostaglandins act on the smooth muscle cells:
→ Causes the smooth muscle relaxation → vasodilation in localized area -> Localized hyperemia → more blood flow into this area, therefore redness and heat.
Inflammatory response - vascular events - step 7 - selectines & cytokines - leukocyte migration - margination
White blood cells circulating in the blood plasma (most abundant → neutrophil & monocytes).
Naturally on their membrane, they have certain type of sugar molecules that interact with P-selectins -> can’t keep going → stuck -> we want the white blood cells to come and fight the infection.
Catches the white blood cell and prevents them from flowing pass the area -> these white blood cells will go from selectin to selectin, rolling on the endothelial cells - margination.
Inflammatory response - vascular events step 8- selectines & cytokines - leukocyte migration - diapedesis
There are molecules on the surface of endothelial cells called P-CAM-1
White blood cells try to squeeze through the gaps between endothelial cells interacting with P-CAM-1
Inflammatory response - vascular events - step 9 - selectines & cytokines - leukocyte migration - chemotaxis
We now have macrophages (derived from monocytes) and neutrophils in the tissues, and they have receptors on the membrane surface.
Histamines, leukotrienes, prostaglandins, and cytokines previously released from mast cells and from the AA cascade -> bind to the receptors of the white blood cells surface.
The bacteria are on one side and the white blood cell has to go that direction -> cytokines stimulating causing them to migrate where the infection is → positive chemotaxis
Inflammatory response - vascular events - step 10 - selectines & cytokines - leukocyte migration - E-selectin, I-CAM, V- CAM
Imagine there are gram negative bacteria and we have already recruited initially neutrophils and macrophages (from blood monocytes) to the damaged site.
Macrophages and neutrophils will fight these bacteria and they want to recruit more WBCs (this part comes a bit later in the inflammatory cascade, as IL1, IL8 and TNF-α have to be synthesized, whereas PG, leukotrienes… are already pre-synthesized):
Macrophages will release:
• IL-1 and TNF-α -> act on endothelial cell and stimulate production of E-selectins -> allow for monocytes and neutrophils to adhere with E-selectins.
• IL-8 - binds to endothelial cells receptors -> it activates the cell and stimulate the synthesis
of ICAM and VCAM
• ICAM = intracellular cell adhesion molecule
• VCAM = vascular cell adhesion molecule
The actual neutrophils and monocytes have specific inactive proteins on cell membrane → integrins.
Then IL-8 activates neutrophil -> activates the integrin -> neutrophil interacts with V-CAM and I-CAM to be “fixed” to the endothelium and then start diapedesis interacting with P-CAMs.
▪ White blood cells squish through the capillary with amoeboid motion → diapedesis
▪ Follow the chemoattractant molecule → positive chemotaxis.