Lecture 6B - Specific Immunity - The Humoral Response (Antigens & Antibodies) Flashcards

1
Q

What must be done to properly defend the body against attack by a major pathogen?

A

lymphocytes must be recruited and a specific immune response generates

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2
Q

What is the specific immune system important for?

A

to defend us against pathogens that are not of the same chemical signatures of the tissues in our body

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3
Q

What happens in autoimmune disease?

A

the immune system targets out own body tissues

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4
Q

Is specific more internal or external?

A

internal

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5
Q

What do we want our immune system to do?

A

specifically recognise the proteins and sugars which uniquely belong to pathogens like bacteria and parasites, while leaving our own vital proteins alone

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6
Q

What did Von Behring find?

A

exposure of a guinea pig to a sublethal dose of diptheria toxin rendered them immune to subsequent dose that would normally be lethal

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7
Q

What is transferring immunity?

A

serum from a previously exposed animal could also protect an unexposed animal from the fatal effects of the diptheria toxin

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8
Q

How is the immunity specific?

A

it only protected against diptheria toxin but not against others

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9
Q

What did Von Behring call the transferrable chemical agents which provided immunity?

A

antibodies

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10
Q

How can specific immunity act externally?

A

eyes, gut, mouth, lungs, saliva, bladder, sex organs, maternal milk

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11
Q

How can specific immunity act internally?

A

blood stream, kidney, liver, brain, heart and other body tissues

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12
Q

What is specific immunity?

A

a specific response to particular antigens

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13
Q

What are antigens?

A

substances recognised by the immune system as being ‘non-self’ and which provoke an immune response

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14
Q

What are most antigenic?

A

irregular, proturburant domains of protein molecules

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15
Q

What might a large polypeptide have?

A

several antigenic determinant sites - each of which can provoke an immune response

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16
Q

Polysaccharides antigenic?

A

have a simpler structure than proteins and are less antigenic

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17
Q

What do many successful parasitic organisms have?

A

surface proteins which are highly glycosylated

this helps to screen antigenic determinants on their surface proteins from the immune system

18
Q

Antigenicity of regular polymers and metal lattice structures?

A

very low antigenicity and are useful materials for implants

smoothness does not alert the immune system of their presence

19
Q

What often does not produce an immune response?

A

smooth domains

20
Q

What do parasites do to evade the immune system?

A

change the sugars on their cells

21
Q

MW of antigens?

A

usually large MW substances - proteins

22
Q

What is an epitope?

A

each separate antigenic determinant site on a molecule

23
Q

How can small molecules become antigenic?

A

after binding to large molecules (proteins)

such small molecules are called haptens

24
Q

What happens if a drug molecule binds to a white blood cell?

A

it makes a molecular shape the immune system has not seen before and an immune reaction will lead to lysis of the white blood cell

25
What is anaphylactic shock?
a severe allergic reaction that occurs in susceptible individuals
26
What are haptens a problem with?
drug treatment
27
What does the specific immune response begin with?
the entry of an antigen into the body
28
What happens when the immune system detects the antigen?
it recognises it as a species that is not part of the body this enables activation of the immune system
29
What does activation of the immune system do?
amplifies the number of immune cells and antibodies specifically targeted against the antigen and eliminates it
30
Humoral mediators of specific immunity?
antibody mediated immunity antibodies are DIRECTLY responsible for eliminated the antigen
31
What do antibodies belong to?
the gamma globulin class of proteins called immunoglobulins -
32
What are immunoglobulins?
the class of proteins which cause immunity of the animal to the toxin
33
What is cell mediated immunity?
cells are ultimately responsible for eliminating the antigen, requires cell to cell contact to cause cell death
34
What does humoral immunity involve?
antibodies circulating in the blood and lymph which can recognise foreign molecules
35
How do antibodies work?
they do not kill cells directly, but can neutralise viruses and toxins or mark cells and parasites for destruction by phagocytic cells
36
How can immunoglobulins target cells?
from some distance to be destroyed
37
Classes of antibodies?
``` IgA IgD IgG IgE IgM ``` MADGE
38
IgG?
most abundant antibody class in the blood and is also transferred across the placenta to give additional protection to unborn child binds toxins
39
IgA?
secreted in saliva and mother breast milk to give protection when immune system is weak
40
IgE?
can bind to trigger mast cells and basophils
41
IgM?
associated with compliment activation and forms almost a snowflake structure with 5 of the Y shapes antibodies connecting to form a weak ring