innate and acquired immunity Flashcards
what is the first barrier of innate immunity
integument
how does the skin protect for immunity?
- specialized cells block penetration of most microbial organisms and foreign substances
- beneficial microbes occupy surface area of integument to provide further barrier to penetration
how does sweat and sebaceous glands secretions provide innate immune protection?
they have an acidic pH and include a number of fatty acids and hydrolytic enzymes all of which serve as antimicrobials
what are cells in the body that secrete specialized proteins that have innate immune activity?
interferons
complement proteins
mucous secretion
hydrolytic enzymes
proteolytic enzymes
what are interferons?
class of proteins that have anti-viral activity
how do complement proteins when activated have innate immune response?
- enhances immune response
- destroys extracellular pathogens (bacteria)
how do mucous secretion in the respiratory and GI tract have innate immune response?
effective at trapping and removing antigen facilitated by ciliated epithelial cells that line specific sites
in the GI tract, what serves to create a hostile environment for foreign microbes?
- hydrolytic enzymes in saliva
- low pH in stomach
- proteolytic enzymes in bile and small intestine
what are other innate physical barriers besides skin and how are they effective?
hairs of nostrils and sneeze and cough reflex: expels antigens of moderate sizes out respiratory and GI tract
what can impair the physical innate barrier?
excess consumption of alcohol, cigarette smoking, use of select drugs
what is the next line of defense if physical innate barriers fail to block penetration of foreign antigen?
collection of specialized cells
how do specialized cells aid in immune defense?
destroy by ingesting antigens (intracellular killers) or by contacting antigen, releasing toxic mediators to destroy (extracellular killers)
what are the two mechanisms of intracellular killers?
endocytosis or phagocytosis
what is the process that occurs if the antigen is at the macromolecular level?
endocytosis
explain the process of endocytosis
- occurs via simple invagination of the cellular membrane or via a cell receptor-mediated mechanism
- Once engulfed, the foreign
macromolecules are encased in endocytic vesicles that fuse with endosomes (acidic pH) and lysosomes (containing degradative enzymes) to break down the macromolecules.
what is phagocytosis?
the engulfment of larger particles (i.e. bacteria) forming a phagosome which will fuse to a lysosome to form a phagolysosome, which via enzyme action degrade the particle
what is an example of phagolysosomes containing toxic mediators that can generate respiratory burst
nitric oxide
hypochlorous acid
what are opsonins?
collection of proteins that can bind to the target particles and facilitate phagocytosis
what are examples of opsonins?
antibodies and select complement proteins
what are the cells that function principally as intracellular killers?
polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) and macrophages
what are dendritic cells?
specialized weak phagocytic cells found in the tissues
why are PMN also classified as granulocytes?
because of their appearance when stained
what are cells of PMN?
neutrophils
basophils
eosinophils
mast cells
describe the function of PMN cells
- short life span
- rich in lysosomes and can generate peroxides and superoxide radicals
- major players in combating early infections
what is the special type of intracellular killer cell that can engulf large particles and then destroy them?
macophages
what is the unique ability of macrophages and what other type of cell can do this too?
they can process the destroyed foreign particles and present their smaller components on their cell surface as antigen presenting cells (APC)
dendritic cells
why do macrophages have specialized names related to the tissue in which they reside?
because they originate from the blood monocytes and migrate to specific tissues in the body, where they maintain their phagocytic function, but also other functions specific to the tissues in which they reside (i.e. Kupffer cells, microglial cells)
what are the secretory proteins called that macrophages and PMN can release?
cytokines
what are the extracellular killers?
natural killer cells (NK)
what are natural killer (NK) cells?
large granular lymphocytes that are able to lyse abnormal cells (viral-infected or cancer cells), without prior activation