Intro to immune system Flashcards
What are the branches of adaptive immunity? [2 marks]
- Humoral (B cells and antibodies)
- Cellular (T cells)
What are physical barriers to pathogens? [2 marks]
- Skin
- Mucous secretions (has proteolytic enzymes and ferritin)
What are involved in innate immune responses? [3 marks]
- Mast cells
- Neurophils
- Complement proteins
What are the main functions of the innate immune system? [4 marks]
- Prevention, control and elimination of infection.
- Removal of damaged cells and initiation of tissue repair.
- Activate the adaptive immune response.
- Influence the type of adaptive response that will develop.
What are PAMPs? [2 marks]
- Small molecular motifs conserved within a class of microbes.
- Needed for survival of microbes.
How do immune cells detect danger? [2 marks]
- Pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs)
- Damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs)
Where are dendritic cells distributed? [3 marks]
- Lymphoid tissue
- Mucosal epithelium
- Body organs
What happens after recognition of PAMPs? [3 marks]
- Pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) induce release of cytokines
- This triggers proinflammatory and antimicrobial responses
What happens in inflammation? [3 marks]
- Increased blood supply to affected area
- Increased permeability of vasculature
- Migration of WBCs out of blood capillaries
What are the primary lymphoid organs and what happens in them? [3 marks]
Where lymphocytes are formed and matured.
- Bone marrow
- Thymus
What are the secondary lymphoid organs and what happens in them? [4 marks]
Where lymphocytes interact with each other and non-lymphoid cells to generate immune responses.
- Blood
- Lymph
- Spleen (recycles old RBCs and fight certain microbes)
Where does lymph fluid get emptied out? [2 marks]
VIA THORACIC DUCT
- Left subclavian
- Internal jugular veins
Where does lymph fluid enter and exit? [2 marks]
ENTER: afferent lymphatic vessel
EXIT: efferent lymphatic vessel
What do T cells respond to? [2 marks]
- Antigen presenting cells
- With T cell receptors
What do B cells respond to? [2 marks]
- Pathogen antigens
- Due to IgM which stimulates signalling pathways
What immunoglobins (Ig) are present on B cells and plasma cells? [2 marks]
B CELL: IgM (membrane)
PLASMA CELL: IgS (secretory)
What do T cells recognise? [2 marks]
- Antigens on antigen presenting cells (APC)
- Human leukocyte antigens (HLA)
Which class of histocompatibility molecule (MHC) do CD4+ (helper) T cells have? [1 mark]
MHC Class II
Which class of histocompatibility molecule (MHC) do CD8+ (cytotoxic) T cells have? [1 mark]
MHC Class I
What do CD4+ T cells do after recognising antigens? [2 marks]
- Secretes cytokines
- Activates macrophages, B cells and other T cells
What do CD8+ T cells do after recognising antigens? [4 marks]
Kill target cells using:
- cytokines
- cytotoxic granules
- caspase cascade
Why are antibodies useful in laboratory assays? [2 mark]
- Highly specific
- High affinity binding
Allows rapid and highly sensitive identification of specific molecules
What is the enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) used for?[1 mark]
Determines serum antibody concentration
What is Western blotting used for? [1 mark]
Determines a single protein in a mix of different proteins
What is lateral flow assay used for? [2 marks]
- Pregnancy tests
- Detects presence of hCG
What is fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS) used for? [1 mark]
Detects and measures physical and chemical characteristics of a population of cells or particles
