Innate Immunity II Flashcards
As with many or most immune cells, NK cells can be stimulated for growth and activation by
Cytokines
Which type of cytokine stimulates growth and activation of NK cells?
IL-12, Type I interferon
What are the two important substances contained in the granules of NK cells?
Perforin and granzymes
Facilitates the entry into target cells of other substances from the NK cell
Perforin
Enzymes that enter the cytoplasm of target cells and initiate signaling cascades leading to cell death by apoptosis
Granzymes
Thus, NK cells have several primary roles: in the early phases of a viral infection, before there are virus-specific CTLs, NK cells can
Kill virus-infected cells
NK cells can also kill cells with
Intracellular microbes
Released by activated NK cells activates macrophages for more efficient phagocytosis and killing of bacteria or intracellular targets such as cells carrying intracellular pathogens, such as Listeria monocytogenes
IFN-γ
Form a surveillance and antigen-capture network in epithelia and subepithelial tissues and in a number of other organs
Dendritic Cells
The majority of DCs are called “conventional” DCs, and these include the
Langerhans cells in the skin
Their primary function is to recognize and/or capture antigen, either microbes or free antigens
Conventional DCs
Have a strong array of TLRs and other pattern-recognition receptors
Conventional DCs
After recognizing and capturing antigens, DCs have which 2 major effects?
- ) Produce pro-inflammatory cytokines
2. ) Travel to lymph nodes to present antigen to T cells
Set off antigen-specific T cell responses and serving as a key link to the adaptive immune response
Conventional DCs
A second, more rare, but critical type of dendritic cell is the
Plasmactytoid dendritic cell (pDC)
These cells specifically have high levels of TLR 3, 7 and 9 in the endosome, whereby they can respond with great sensitivity to single- and double-stranded RNA, and also to DNA, which are characteristic of viruses
Plasmactytoid dendritic cell (pDC)
pDCs have high levels of TLRs
3, 7, and 9
In response, the pDCs turn on very strong production of the anti-viral family of
Type I interfurons (especially IFN-α, and IFN-β)
These IFNs (in contrast to gamma interferon; IFN-γ) have 2 main effects: (1) they have a direct
Anti-viral effects
Also, these Type I interferons modulate a host of cellular reactions by cells of the immune system, making the Type I IFNs an important link between
Innate and adaptive immunity
Primarily associated with immunity to multi-cellular parasites and to allergy and asthma, but they are also important for innate immunity
Mast Cells
They are present in the skin and mucosal epithelium, where they are often found adjacent to the microvasculature and nerves
Mast Cells
The mast cells have numerous cytoplasmic granules containing inflammatory mediators including
Histamine
Mast cells also produce lipid mediators, such as
Prostaglandins and cytokines
Mast cells contain a number of pathogen recognition receptors, including most
TLRs
Mast cells contain a number of pathogen recognition receptors, including most TLRs, which can be stimulated by their ligands in vitro to induce
Degranulation and cytokine release
The location of mast cells, and the presence of important PRRs suggests an important role in
Innate immunity
Recognition molecules critical to innate immunity are also found in the serum and in tissues, and help
Tag or destroy molecules
Recognition molecules bind to microbes, acting as
Opsonins
This enhances their recognition by cellular receptors on macrophages, neutrophils and dendritic cells because these cells have receptors for these
Opsonins
May initiate or promote inflammatory responses that attract phagocytes, and/or they may participate directly in killing of pathogens
Soluble recognition molecules
Perhaps the best known and most important soluble recognition and effector molecules are those of the
Complement system
This system is composed of roughly 20 proteins in normal human serum, most of which are produced in the liver
Complement proteins
Functions in defense against pathogens, and functions in homeostasis, particularly recognizing damaged or apoptotic cells or their components and helping dispose of them without triggering inflammation
Complement system
Functions to opsonize (coat) and tag microbes for phagocytosis and killing
Complement system
The complement system mobilizes and recruits phagocytes to the site of
Infection
In some cases, the complement system functions to directly kill
Pathogens
What are the three pathways to trigger the cascade of reactions of the complement system?
-Once triggered, converge to a common pathway
Classical, alternative, and lectin pathways
The “classical pathway”, so-called because it was the first pathway recognized and described, is initiated by
Antibody binding to pathogen
Because it involves antigen-specific antibodies, it is often considered part of adaptive immunity
Classical pathway