Mrs H bio 8 Immunology and HIV Flashcards
what are the 3 major types of pathogenic organisms?
bacteria, viruses and fungi
what is a pathogen?
an organism, usually a micro-organism, which causes a disease
what are the 3 defence mechanisms our bodies have against pathogens?
1, preventing the entry of pathogens by a variety of physical and chemical defences, such as the skin, mucus membranes, tears and saliva
2. inflammation of the region invaded by the pathogen, a process known as non-specific inflammatory response
3.recognising ‘foreign’ cells and targeting any pathogenic cells, a process known as a specific immune repsonse
what is an antigen?
a molecule that stimulates an immune reponse resulting in the production of specific antibodies
why does an immune response occur?
the surface of our own cells and of pathogens are covered in antigens that act as markers to help identify the type of cell so if the antigens arent recognised then the body will treat the cell/pathogen as non-self and initiate an immune response
what is an antibody?
protein/glycoprotein made in response to foreign antigen- has binding sites which bind specifically to antigen and are produced by B cells
what is the structure of an antibody?
antibodies are complex quaternary structures made up of four polypeptide chains. overall shape= Y-shaped. main part of antibody (heavy chain) is the same in all antibodies, it is the light chain and therefore the binding site that changes from antibody to antibody
what is formed when an antibody binds to a specific antigen?
antigen-antibody complex
what is phagocytosis?
carried out by white blood cells called phagocytes, where, early in an infection, the WBC collect at the site of infection and begin to breakdown pathogens
describe the process of phagocytosis
1) pathogen engulfed by phagocyte
2) engulfed pathogen enters the cytoplasm if the phagocyte in a vesicle
3) lysosomes fuse with vesicle releasing digestive enzymes
4)lysosome enzymes break down the pathogen
5)waste materials are ejected from the cell
what is specific immunity?
a specific repsonse to a specific antigen on the surface of a cell or pathogen that has been recognised as non-self
what type of white blood cell does specific immunity involve?
lymphocytes
what are lymphocytes?
smaller than phagocytes and have a large nucleus. produced in the bone marrow before birth
what are the 2 types of lymphocytes?
T cells and B cells
what is the structure of a T cell?
specific cell surface receptors called T cell receptors which have a similar structure to antibodies and are each specific to one antigen
How do T cells respond to a pathogen or it antigen?
require other cells to process the antigens and present them to the T cell. the antigen presenting cell will present the cells on its surface and the T cells are activated when they encounter their specific antigen
how do T cells increase in no.?
divide via mitosis
what two main types of T cell can they differentiate into?
helper T cells and cytotoxic T cells
what do helper T cells do?
assist other white blood cells in the immune response. they release cytokines which stimulate:
-the maturation of B cells into antibody- secreting plasma cells
-production of memory B cells
-activation of cytotoxic T cells, which destroy virus infected cell and tumour cells
-an increased rate of phagocytosis
what do cytotoxic T cells do?
kill infected cells
how are B cells activated?
surface antigens of an invading pathogen are taken up by a specific B cell, specific B lymphocyte presents these antigens on its surface, a helper T cell with complementary receptor binds to presented antigens and activates the B cell to clone, B cell now activated and divides by mitosis to give a clone of plasma cells
what do B plasma cells do?
produce and secrete the specific antibody that fits on to the pathogens surface, the antibody attaches to the antigens and destroys it