MCM 2-9 Innate Lymphocytes Flashcards
A patient presents with a common cold. Respiratory epithelial cells begin producing interferon. Which is least likely to be an outcome of the activation of the interferon response?
a. Decreased viral replication within the cell
b. A virus specific, cell mediated immune response
c. Upregulation of NK cell ligands on the infected cell
d. Activation of NK cells
e. Interferon binding to nearby uninfected epithelial cells
B
A virus specific cell mediated immune response is least likely
Type I interferon. Source? Acts on?
Type 1 interferon is IFN-Alpha and IFN-Beta
Excreted from virally infected cells
Autocrine action (within the cell to decrease syntehsis) as well as paracrine (neighboring cells) acting on NK cells, activating them to kill.
innate vs adaptive
innate - inborn, ready to go, nonspecific, no recombination (mucus, tight junctions, macrophages, neutrophils)
adaptive - tailored to specific antigen, delayed primary response, antigen specific, must ramp up, some recombination necessary
General Innate and Adaptive Bifurkation at the hematopoietic stem cell
Innate - differentiates into common myeloid progenitor which gives rise to innate immune cells
in adaptive - differentiates into common lymphoid progenitor which gives rise to adaptive immune cells
However, there is a class of INNATE that are derived from the common lymphoid progenitor that ussually gives rise to ADAPTIVE immune cells
Natural Killer Cells
are ready to go, do not need priming or proliferation. They can recognize and kill a target cell without priming or sensitization
NK Cells express what cell markers
CD56 (adhesion molecule) and CD16 (an Fc receptor)
-also have cytoplasmic granules to kill target cells
NK cells do not express
CD3, they are CD3-
despite being lymphoid, do not express a BCR or TCR
where do NK cells mature?
unlike T-cells, NK cells mature in the bone marrow, there is no thymic stage. they are ready to go right out of the bone marrow
What do NK cells do?
- fight viral infection
- kill tumor cells
- support placentation (during pregnancy)
describe how an NK cell finds an infected cell?
a virally infected cell excretes type-1 interferon (alpha or beta), which stimulates the NK to divide, and seek out the infected cells to kill.
NK cells and the kinetics of infection response
- subject infected
- IFN-1 and other inflammatory mediators released
- NK cells quickly begin killing
- much later in response. T-cells begin killing
NK cells are thought to stave off the viral infection until T-cells are ramped up and able to eradicate the infection. NK cells will level out the viral titer. More pronounced in primary infection when T-cells take a few days to activate.
Crosstalk between NK cells and macrophages
NK cells secrete IFN-Gamma (type 2 interferon) to stimulate macrophages, makes macrophage better able to take up antigen and kill
Activated macrophages secrete IL-12
Interferon types 1 and 2
Type 1 - alpha and beta, released by infected cells, stimulates NK cells to activate, divide, and kill
type 2 - interferon gamma - secreted by NK cells to stimulate macrophages, makes them better able to take up antigen and kill
how do NK cells recognize target cells without a TCR?
they have a spectrum of receptors that are either inhibitory or stimulatory. the balance of these receptors determines if the NK cell will kill or not. by default, inhibitory NK signal dominates (protective)
-these receptors are germline encoded, no recombination like B or C receptor
difference between NK receptors and TCR/BCRs?
NK are germline encoded, no recombination like in BCR or TCR
what are the main ligands for the different NK receptors?
most ligands are MHC1 and HLA class molecules