Physiology Flashcards
Mechanisms hypothesized to be involved in the breakdown of tolerance?
5
- Failure to delete autoreactive lymphocytes
(Central tolerance failure and
Peripheral tolerance failure) - Molecular mimicry
- Abnormal presentation of self antigens
- Epitope spreading
- Polyclonal lymphocyte activation
What are epitopes?
the part of an antigen molecule to which an antibody attaches itself.
T cells
- Derived from where?
- Important in what process?
- Induce what to produce antigens?
- Each programmed to recognize what?
- Circulate in blood and sequestered in where? 2
- Derived from the thymus
- Important in cellular immunity
- Induce B cells to produce antigens
- Each programmed to recognize unique processed peptide fragment by T-cell receptor (TCR)
- Circulate in blood, sequestered in
- spleen and
- lymph nodes
- T cell activation: Which cells act as the antigen presenting cells? (APC)
- Major histocompatibility complex (MHC)— what is it?
- MHC—human leukocyte antigen (HLA). What are they?
- When NOT self peptide the APCs interact and present antigen to T-cells– which ones?
- Normal ratio?
- Dendritic cells and macrophages
- a region formed by genetic loci that plays a central role in humoral & cellular immunity
- group of proteins that participate in antigen presentation (APC)
- CD4 and CD8:
CD4 T helper cells CD8 Cytotoxic T cells - Normal ratio CD4/CD8—2:1
- CD4 and CD 8 expressing T cells are referred to as what?
- What do the helper T cells do?
- Describe what the Class I to III MHC molecules do?
3
- CD4+ and CD8+
- The helper T cells—secrete cytokines & influence all other cells of the immune system
- Class I MHC molecules—associated w/ recognition of endogenous antigens
- Class II MHC molecules—associated w/ recognition of exogenous antigens
- Class III MHC molecules—involved w/ the complement system
B LYMPHOCYTES
- Derived from where?
- Present where? 5
- After stimulation B cells form what?
- How many circulate?
- Derived from bone marrow
- Present in:
- bone marrow,
- lymph nodes,
- spleen,
- tonsils and
- nonlymphoid organs such as GI tract (Peyers Patches) - After stimulation B cells form plasma cells & secrete immunoglobulins
- 10-20% circulate
IMMUNE SYSTEM REVIEW Antigen processing: 1. Ag must be taken up by what? 2. Ag is then processed where? 3. Then it is presented to the what? 4. MHC class I/CD8+-- which cell? 5. MHC class II/CD4+-- which cell?
- APC
- inside the cell
- immune system
- cytotoxic cell
- helper T cell
- IMMUNOLOGICAL TOLERANCE is what?
2. It prevents the body from doing what?
- State of unresponsiveness specific for a particular antigen (Ag)
- It prevents the body from attacking itself—self-tolerance
B-Cell Tolerance:
1. Loss of self-tolerance with development of autoantibodies is characteristic of what?
Example:
2. Hyperthyroidism in Grave’s disease is due to what?
- Filtering autoreactive B-cells out of population. How? 4
- of a number of autoimmune disease
- autoantibodies to the thyroid-stimulating hormone receptors
- Clonal deletion in bone marrow
- Deletion of autoreactive cells in spleen or lymph nodes
- Functional inactivation by anergy
- Receptor editing- process that changes specificity of a B-cell receptor when autoantigen is encountered
T-Cell Tolerance:
Central mechanisms of T-cell tolerance involve the what?
deletion of self-reactive T-cells in thymus
- What is Positive Selection?
2. What is Negative Selection?
- Immature T cells of a clone that are not auto-reactive T cells are allowed to mature
- Immature T cell clones that have high affinity for host cells are sorted out and undergo apoptosis
- Many autoantigens are not present in thymus which results in what?
- Sequestered antigens (immunologically privileged) e.g.—Examples? 3
- Therefore, there needs to be what available to deal with these?
- self-reactive cells escaping the process
- -CNS,
-eyes,
-testes
(if these are released then an immune response ensues) - peripheral mechanism
Describe the Peripheral mechanism involved with T cell tolerance?
4
Peripheral activation of T-cells requires 2 signals:
- Recognition of peptide Ag with MHCs on the APCs AND
- Secondary costimulatory signals which are often absent
- Apoptosis (Fas receptor + Fas ligand)
- Suppressor T cells can also down-regulate autoreactive T-cells
Peripheral mechanism involved with T cell tolerance: Sometimes, no problem exists because what?
the self-reactive T-cells, remain immunologically ignorant because they can’t “see” Ag (Blood-brain barrier)
MECHANISM OF SELF-TOLERANCE
- What is central tolerance?
- What is peripheral tolerance? 2
- What is anergy?
- Central tolerance – Elimination of self-reactive T cells and B cells in the central lymphoid organs
- Peripheral tolerance :
- Some of the T cells will become regulatory T cells (Tr)—products of Tr are cytokines that downregulate the immune response when the pathogen is cleared & help prevent autoimmunity
- Some escaped T cells won’t recognize MHC-self-antigen and will remain as immature Tc cells - “Anergy”= State of immunologic tolerance to Ag