Immunology-Immune Responses Flashcards
What are acute-phase reactants?
Factors whose serum conc change significant;y in response to inflammation; produced by the liver in both acute and chronic inflammatory states
Notably induced by IL-6
What are the upregulated APRs (acute phase reactants)?
CRP
Ferritin (sequesters iron)
Fibrinogen
Hepcidin (prevents release of iron bound by ferritin= anemia of chronic disease)
Serum amyloid A (can lead to amyloidosis)
What are the downregulated APRs (acute phase reactants)?
Albumin (reduction converses AAs for positive reactants)
Transferrin
Describe the alternative complement pathway
C3 from the liver is broken down to C3b (and C3a), which binds with Bb (formed when factor D breaks down factor B) to form C3bBb (C3 convertase)
C3 convertase then leaves more C3 and some form C5 convertase (C3bBb3b) which cleaves C5 to C5a and C5b
C5b then binds to C6-9 to form the MAC
Describe the classic complement pathway
C1 becomes activated with Ab bind to C1q (IgM is the best since its a pentamer), which then cleaves C2 to Ca2/C2b and C4 to C4a/C4b. C4b and C2a combine to form C3 convertase of the classical pathway which cleaves C3 to combine with the other pathways
End-game: MAC complex
What is the effect of C1 esterase inhibitor deficiency?
hereditary angioedema (ACEIs are contraindicated)
What is the effect of C3 deficiency?
Increases risk of severe, recurrent pyogenic sinus and respiratory tract infections
susceptibility to type III hypersensitivity rxns
What is the role of IL-1?
Aka osteoclast-activating factor. Causes fever, acute inflammation.
Activates endothelium to express adhesion molecules
What is the role of IL-6?
Promotes fever and production of APRs
What is the role of IL-8?
chemotaxis of neutrophils
What is the role of IL-12?
Induces differentiatio of T cells into Th1 cells. Activates NK cells
What is the role of TNF-a?
Mediates septic shock.
Activates the endothelium
Causes vascular leak, cachexia in malignancy, and chemo-fog
What is the role of IL-3?
Secreted by ALL T cells to support growth and differentiation of bone marrow stem cells. Functions like GM-CSF
What is the role of IFN-y?
Secreted by NK cells in response to Il-12 from macrophages, stimulates macrophages to kill pathocytosed pathogens
Also activates NK cells to kill virus-infected cells. Increased MHC expression
What are the major Th2 cytokines?
IL-4 (promotes class switching to IgE and IgG)
IL-5 (promotes class switching to IgA; stimulates growth of eosinophils)
IL-10 (modulates inflammatory response; decrease of MHC class II and Th1 cytokines)
Describe the respiratory burst
This involves the activation of the phagocyte NAPDH oxidase complex (e.g. in neutrophils, monocytes, which utilize O2 as a substrate)
Describe the first two steps of the respiratory burst
In the phagolysosome:
- NAPDH oxidase converts O2 to O2*- using NADPH
- O2*- is converted to hydorgen peroxide via superoxide dismutase
Describe step 3 of the respiratory burst
- Hydorgen peroxide is convertd to HClO via MPO
Pts with CGD are at increased risk of what infections?
Those caused by catalse + organisms (e.g. S. aurues, Aspergillus) capable of neutralizing their own hydrogen peroxide
What does pyocyanin of P. aureginosa do?
fucntions to generate POS to kill competing microbes
What are interferons a and B?
Part of the innate host defense against BOTH RNA and DNA viruses. These are glycoproteins that act locally on uninfected cells, priming them for viral defense by helping to selectively degrade viral nucleis acid and protein
What are the major cell surface proteins of T cells?
TCR (binds antigen-MHC complex)
CD3
CD28 (binds to B7 on APCs)