PH1124 - Immune sytem Flashcards
What is the innate immune system ?
The innate immune system is NON SPECIFIC It will defend against anything foreign Its fast (minutes or hours)
What is the adaptive immune system ?
The adaptive immune system is HIGHLY SPECIFIC It identifies pathogens and differences in molecular structures Its Slow (days)
Name the different parts of the innate immune system
Physical barriers - skin, hair, cilia etc
Defense mechanisms- Mucus, saliva
General immune responses, complement system
What is the role of neutrophils and macrophages (phagocytes) ?
Ø Macrophages and neutrophils are primarily phagocytic cells that engulf pathogens and destroy them in intracellular vesicles, a function they perform in both innate and adaptive immune responses. They release lysozyme and other substances into the formed vesicle in order to break it down. they then present the protein of the pathogen on their surface.
Many phagocytes are antigen presenting cells.
◦ Enter an infected site from circulation
◦ Bind, engulf and kill a wide variety of microbial agents
◦ Produce immunomodulatory substances, e.g. cytokines, chemokines, which regulate the immune response
◦ Act as first line of defense against infection
What is the function of eosinophils
Eosinophils are thought to be involved in attacking large antibody-coated parasites such as worms, whereas the function of basophils is less clear.
What is the function of mast cells ?
Ø Mast cells are tissue cells that trigger a local inflammatory response to antigen by releasing substances that act on local blood vessels.
They release histamines which cause
What are some functions of the spleen ?
it fights invading pathogens in the blood (the spleen contains infection-fighting white blood cells, for instance B cells and T cells)
it controls the level of blood cells (white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets)
it filters the blood and removes any old or damaged red blood cells
Describe the two different types of T cells
T-cells
2 types of T- cells:
T- cells with CD4 proteins on them and some with CD8 receptors.
Most CD4+ T cells are helper t cells and are attracted to MHC2 complexes.
CD8 proteins are attracted to MHC1 complexes. Most of the time CD8+ t cells are cytotoxic T cells.
CD8 t cells kill infected/abnormal cells.
CD8 differenciates into memory cytotoxic t cells and effector cytotoxic t cells once activated.
CD4 cells once activated differentiate into effector helper t cells which can activate b cells. It also releases cytokines.CD4 cells also produce memory cells.
A mental hook to try and help you remember the CD proteins: CD4 - “It’s here 4 you” - Helper T Cell CD8 - “CD HATE”, It HATES the infected cells and tries to kill them - Cytotoxic T Cell
CD8+ (cytotoxic t cells) Kill by:
Protein called Perforin which punches holes in the target-cell membrane
What are the first, second and third lines of defence ?
The first line of defence are the physical and chemical barriers, which are considered functions of innate immunity.
The second line of defence is nonspecific resistance, which also is considered a function of innate immunity.
The third line of defence is specific resistance, which is considered a function of acquired immunity.
What are the TWO categories of cells in the adaptive immune system ?
B cells developed in bone marrow
T cells which mature in the Thymus
Explain the role of B cells
B lymphocytes are part of the humoral response.
B cells have membrane bound antibodies
Activated helper T cells can activate B -cells.
Once the B cell is activated it can differentiate into memory cells and effector B cells.
Effector B cells (plasma cells) produce antibodies.
The antibodies are uniquely able to bind to the new pathogen.Antibodies then tag the pathogens and make them easier for pick up.
Describe the function of major histocompatibility complexes
The function of MHC molecules is to bind peptide fragments derived from pathogens and display them on the cell surface for recognition by the appropriate T cells. The consequences are almost always deleterious to the pathogen—virus-infected cells are killed, macrophages are activated to kill bacteria living in their intracellular vesicles, and B cells are activated to produce antibodies that eliminate or neutralize extracellular pathogens. Thus, there is strong selective pressure in favor of any pathogen that has mutated in such a way that it escapes presentation by an MHC molecule.
Every nucleated cell in the body has MHC1 complexes. MHC 1 binds to ‘shady’ things inside the cell and then present them on the outside
MHC2 bind to ‘shady things on the outside of the cell and then present them.
MHC 2 are presented on the surface of phagocytes after phagocytosis
What is the difference between the cellular and humoral adaptive response ?
Cellular adaptive response – effected by cytotoxic T cells (CD8+)
◦ Targets infected body cells (e.g. viruses)
◦ Targets malignant cells (e.g. cancer)
Humoral adaptive response – effected by B cells (antibodies)
◦ Targets pathogens or antigens that are free in the blood stream or on mucosal surfaces
◦ T helper cells (CD4+) are important ‘gatekeepers’
◦ Once activated helper T cells can shape the subsequent immune response by secreting effector molecules (e.g. cytokines)
◦ Controlling the activation of other cell types
describe the process of T cell differentiation
T cell precursor cells from the bone marrow travel to the thymus where they differentiate into CD8+ and CD4+ cells.
These cells then travel to the lymph node where they further differentiate:
CD8+ cells: differentiate into cytotoxic T cells
CD4+ cells: differentiate into helper T (Th) cells
what are the functions of an antibody?
Antibody function:
Opsonisation – the antibody promotes phagocytosis (via Fc receptors on phagocytes recognizing antibody-antigen complexes and binding antibody via its Fc fragment).
Neutralisation – the antibody inhibits the antigen (e.g. bacterial adherence by binding and blocking a surface protein on bacteria required for adhering to cell surfaces).
Complement activation – antibody-antigen complexes bind C1q within the C1 complex and trigger the classical pathway of complement.
Classical pathway activation creates opsonins C4b and also C3b and amplification via the alternative pathway.
describe the function of cytokines
Cytokines are a large group of proteins, peptides or glycoproteins that are secreted by specific cells of immune system. Cytokines are a category of signaling molecules that mediate and regulate immunity, inflammation and hematopoiesis.
what is immunity?
- ability of the body to fight infection or foreign invader by producing antibodies or killing infected cells
what is the role of the immune system? (2)
- maintaining homeostasis by recognizing and differentiating between harmful and non-harmful organisms
- produces an appropriate response
what are the functions of immunity? (3)
- immune defense
- immune homeostasis
- immune surveillance
what are the layer of immune defence? (4)
- barrier (skin or mucous)
- soluble components (hurmoral)
- specialist immune cells (cellular)
- new defences that our bodies learn (adaptive)
what are humoral factors of innate immunity? (4)
- complement
- lysosomes
- interferons (IFN)
- C-reactive proteins
what is the complement humoral factor?
- blood proteins / proteolytic cascade leading to opsonisation (phagocytosis) or formation of lytic pore on cell
what are interferons?
- signalling proteins made and released by host cells in response to the presence of several pathogens
what are C-reactive proteins?
- binds to lyphosphatidylchloine expressed on the surface of dead or dying cells (or some types of bacteria) and activates the complement system
what are examples of humoral innate immunity? - complement
what are examples of cellular innate immunity? (5)
- neutrophils
- monocytes
- macrophages
- natural killer cells
- mast cells
what are examples of humoral adaptive immunity?
- antibodies
where do all immune cells, red blood cells and platelets originate?
- bone marrow
where do all white blood cells originate from?
- hematopoietic stem cells
what are myeloid progenitor cells?
- they are the precursor cells of granulocytes (neutrophils, macrophages and mast cells)
what are lymphoid progenitor cells?
- they are the precursor cells of lymphocytes (B cells and T cells)
what are naïve lymphocytes and where do they circulate? (2)
- have antigen receptors but have not yet encountered the antigen
- they circulate continuously from blood into the peripheral tissues
- returned to blood via lymphatic vessels
how are lymphocytes activated? (2)
- in the event of infection antigens are taken up by phagocytic cells which travel to the lymph nodes to display antigens to circulating lymphocytes
- lymphocytes activate and undergo proliferation and differentiation
where do neutrophils and monocytes differentiate? - in the blood
what are antigens?
- toxins that are produced by pathogens that cause harm to an organism
what are the functions of macrophages? (5)
- remove debris
- secrete enzymes, defense proteins and lymphokines
- ingest bacteria
- inflammatory reactions
- antigen processing
what molecules do macrophages secrete? (3)
- enzymes
- cytokines
- bioactive lipids
what are cytokines?
- chemical messengers produced in response to a stimulus
what are the stages of phagocytosis? (5) - chemotaxis
- adherence of microorganism to surface of polymorph or macrophage
- membrane activation of actin-myosin contractile network to extend around microorganism
- complete enclosure of organisms within vacuole (endosome formation)
- rapid fusion of endosome with lysosome to form primary/secondary lysosome
- large group of messenger molecules
- interferon, interleukin, and growth factors that are secreted by certain cells of the immune system and have an effect on other cells
what is type 1 hypersensitivity? (2)
- IgE mediated which involves mast cells and basophils
- causes anaphylaxis, hayfever, asthma etc.
what are natural killer cells? (2)
- large granular lymphocytes
- kills cells infected with certain viruses and tumor cells