Lecture 14: Autoimmune diseases Flashcards
What is autoimmunity?
- Immune response to self antigens
- Failure of tolerance
What are known autoimmune diseases?
-Adaptive immune response to self antigen causes tissue damage
What is tolerance?
state of immunological non-reactivity to an antigen
Describe the selection of adaptive immune lymphocytes?
1) Gene segments…Either negative selection -Reduces auto-reactivity
OR positive selection:Ensure receptors are useful
Produces:
2) Naive B and T cell receptors; Small numbers of cells for each antigen but very large number of receptors overall
3) Infection causes expansion of best population
4) Resolution of infection and memory cells
What does the negative selection produce?
- Some potential auto-reactive T cells
- activates peripheral tolerance mechanism
Describe the rigorous process in the adaptive immunity?
Rigorous: low risk of autoimmunity but poor repertoir therefore increased susceptibility to infection
Describe the permissive process of adaptive immunity?
- Broad repertoire of antigens
- Therefore lower risk of infection but higher risk of auto-immunity
Describe the peripheral tolerance mechanism using immunological hierarchy and antigen segregation?
- CD4 T cells will not be activated unless antigen is presented in an inflammatory context with TLR ligation
- Antigen segregation- Physical barriers to the sequestered antigen (immunological priviledge)
Describe the peripheral tolerance mechanism using peripheral anergy and regulatory T cells?
Peripheral anergy: weak signalling between APC /CD4 T cell without co-stimulation causes T cells to become non-responsive
Regulatory T cells:
Cd25+FoxP3 positive T cells and other types of regulatory T cells actively suppress immune responses by cytokine and juxtacrine signalling
Describe the peripheral tolerance mechanism using cytokine deviation and clonal expansion?
Cytokine deviation:
Change in T cell phenotype eg Th1 to Th2 may reduce inflammation
Clonal Exhaustion: Apoptosis post activation by activation induced cell death
Name auto-immune diseases that are organ specific?
- T1Dm
- Pemphigus
- Graves
- Hashimotos -thryroditis
- Anaemia
- Thrmbocytopenia
Name the auto-immune diseases that affect the multi-system?
- Systemic lupus erythematosis
- RA
- Sjogrens syndrome
Describe the pathogenic mechanism in autoimmune disease?
Type hypersensitivity according to G cell and Coombes classification:
-Refers to disease where an antibody is clearly pathogenic that causes disease damage directly
Describe the criteria pathogenic mechanism in auto-immunity disease?
- disease cam transferred between experimental animal by infusion of serum, or during gestation to cause problems in feotus
- Removal of antibody by plasmapharesis is beneficial
- A pathogenic antibody is identified and characterised
Describe the mechanism of antibody mediated heamolytic anaemia?
- RBC and anti RBC antibody combine
- FcR cells in fixed mononuclear phagocytic system
- Phagocytosis and RBC destruction
AND…
- Complement activation and intravascular haemolysis
- Lysis and RBC destruction
Describe the symptoms of autoimmune hyperthyroidism (Graves)?
- Hyperthyroidism symptoms:
- Tachycardia, palpitations, tremor, anxiety, heat intolerance
- Goitre
- Grave’s ophthalmology