Phagocyte function and macrophages Flashcards
Why is phagocytosis important?
Protects against invading organisms
Processes foreign antigens
Presents parts of foreign antigens
Purges debris and damaged/dying host cells
Which cells are phagocytic?
Macrophage
Neutrophil
DC
Eosinophil
Basophil
Where do phagocytes act?
Sites of infection
Mucosal lymphoid tissue
Lymph nodes
Spleen
Describe the overall process of phagocytosis
Activation of resting phagocytes
Chemotaxis
Attachment and signalling
Phagosome maturation
Killing and antigen presentation
What happens in activation of resting phagocytes?
Inflammatory mediators activate resting phagocytes
Expression of PRRs and ability to recognise and adhere to microbes increases
Production of ATP, lysosomal enzymes and lethal oxidants increases
Metabolic and microbicidal activity increases
What happens in chemotaxis?
Movement towards an increasing concentration of attractant bacterial protein, capsule, cell wall, complement (C5a), chemokine (CXCL-8)
What are the 2 types of attachment?
Unenhanced
Enhanced
How does unenhanced attachment occur?
Via PRR interaction with PAMPs
How does enhanced attachment occur?
Via opsonin recognition receptors interacting with Antibody (Fc) or complement (C5a) fractions previously fixed to microbe components
When does unenhanced attachment occur?
In innate immunity - so is antigen non-specific
Designed to recognise a few highly conserved structures (PAMPs)
Name some unenhanced PAMPs
Bacteria DNA
Glucans from fungal cell walls
Mannose
LPS from gram negative cell wall
Lipoteichoic acids from gram positive cell wall
N-formylmethionine in bacterial proteins
Microbial peptidoglycans
Viral dsRNA
How can PAMPs be hidden/absent?
By pathogen diversity in cell wall structure
Name some unenhanced PRRs
Endocytic PRRs
Signalling PRRs
What are some endocytic PRRs?
Mannose receptors - bind to mannose and fucose on microbial glycoproteins/lipids
Scavenger receptors - bind to other bacterial cell wall components e.g. LPS, peptidoglycan
How do signalling PRRs work?
Binding to bacterial and fungal components
Binding to viral components
What happens if signalling PRRs bind bacterial and fungal components?
Transmits a signal to the nucleus, inducing cytokine production e.g. IL-12, TNF-a, IL-6
This leads to innate immune defences such as inflammation, activation of other phagocytes
What happens if signalling PRRs bind viral components?
Triggers anti-viral IFNs
Describe enhanced attachment
More specific and efficient than unenhanced
Mediated through opsonins
Involves Fc fragments of IgA and IgG
C3b and C5a promote enhanced attachment
What type of attachment do macrophages use?
Both enhanced and unenhanced
What type of attachment do neutrophils use?
Mainly enhanced
How is the phagosome formed?
Microbe attaches to phagocyte
Actin cytoskeleton rearrangement occurs
Forms pseudopods
Membrane remodelling causes phagosome formation
Lysosomes fuse with phagosome and form phagolysosome, allowing for pathogen destruction
What do lysosomes contain?
Lysozymes
Cathepsins
Lactoferrin
Defensins
What do lysozymes do?
Break down proteoglycans in bacterial cell walls