Mucosal immunity Flashcards
what are the features of comensals?
no histone damage
- designed to live with you
what are the common features of mucosal barriers?
Outer mucus layer- traps commensals and potential pathogens
Inner mucus layer- contains anitgen and antimicrobial peptides
Epithelial cells- kept as far from the lumen, and so potential pathogens as possible
why do we need immunity in the respiratory tract?
- Exposure to inhaled antigens and allergens
- Common site of infection
- Needs to be able to respond to “bad” bacterial but not respond to “good” bacteria
- Needs to avoid damage
what does tolerogenic mean?
wont respond to minor stimuli
what are the common features of mucosal barriers?
Outer mucus layer- traps commensals and potential pathogens
Inner mucus layer- contains antigen and antimicrobial peptides
Epithelial cells- kept as far from the lumen, and so potential pathogens as possible
what are the precursor cells to macrophages?
Monocytes
what is the result of oxidized alveolar lung fluid?
It is less of a barrier to infection
- caused with ageing
what are ILCs?
Innate Lymphoid cells
what are innate lymphoid cells?
they have no antigen receptors
- Respond to cytokines and signals from epithelial cells
what cytokines to cytotoxin ILCs release?
perforin/granzyme
IFN-g
TNF
what do ILCs help fight in an immune response?
Viruses
Cancer
Chronic inflammation
why do we need immunity in the GI tract?
- the gut has 10^14 ‘foreign’ bacterial cells
- exposure to food antigens
- common site of infection
- needs to be able to respond to “bad” bacterial but not to “good” bacteria
how does the gut enact its immune function?
The gut has a specialised structure to allow antogen sampling and local immune responses
what is the Peyer’s patch in the GI tract?
Secondary lymphoid tissue
- contaisn T, B and plasma cells
what is the roll of Tregs in the gut?
Maintain a non-inflammed state