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
MECHANISMS OF AUTOIMMUNITY: Much remains unknown but possibilities have been proposed: (5-7% of the population is affected by autoimmunity)?
4 possibilites
- Failure of mechanisms that maintain self-tolerance
- Genetic factors: genes that are involved in the immune response are the major players (MHC & HLA loci)
- Gender: autoimmune diseases affect females more severely and more often than men—hormonal influences play a role (estrogen)
- Infection & environmental factors: molecular mimicry*; environmental factors may contribute to or exacerbate (smoking)
Autoimmune Disorders: Result from 1 or more mechanisms producing loss of self-tolerance. IN general this involves?
Immunologic cells are involved in tissue injury that results in exposure of self-antigen
Possible mechanism of autoimmune dz?
- Failure of T-cell-mediated suppression
- Release of Sequestered Antigens
- Molecular Mimicry
- Heredity and Gender
Possible mechanism of autoimmune dz: Failure of T-cell-mediated suppression: How does this occur? 2
- Failure to delete autoreactive immune cells
2. Increasing ratio of CD4 to CD8 may be involved
Possible mechanism of autoimmune dz: Release of Sequestered Antigens? 2
Example?
- Normally body does not produce Ab against self Ag
- Any self Ag sequestered from immune system during development and then reintroduced is considered foreign
Examples: Sperm and ocular Ag following post-traumatic uveitis and orchitis following vasectomy
Describe Molecular Mimicry? 2
Examples? 2
describe the PP in these examples
- Molecular Mimicry:
- Foreign Ag so closely resembles a self Ag that Ab produced against former attack the later
- B-cell or T-cell response can be mounted against antigentically altered or injured tissue creating an immune response - EXAMPLES:
-Rheumatic Fever and
-Acute Glomerulonephritis:
(A protein in the cell wall of group A Beta hemolytic streptococci has considerable similarity to Ag in heart and kidney)
Autoimmune: POSSIBLE mechanisms (Continued)
- Describe Hereditary and Gender mechanism of action?
- Example? - The exact trigger that causes the autoimmune disease in patients with certain HLA types is unknown although there are some possible theories? 3
- Certain inherited HLA types occur more frequently with certain immunological disorders
- Example: 90% of patient with ankylosing spondylitis carry the HLA-B27 Ag
- Certain viral or bacterial infections
- Chemical substance exposure
- Self Ag that has been hidden from immune system during development becomes released
Almost all autoimmune diseases are more common in women, therefore what may play a big role?
estrogen
SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS (SLE)
- Genes?
- More common in who? 2
- Produce autoantibody to what?
- What can be affected?
- HLA DR2 and DR3
- -85% of patients are female & More common in blacks (1:250) versus whites (1:1000)
-Strong familial link:
If mother has SLE then daughter with 1:40 chance and son 1:250 chance - Produce autoantibodies to nuclear Ag
- Multiple organ systems are affected
SLE PATHOGENESIS
1. Many effects are secondary to trapping what?
- Other effects are autoantibody mediated destruction of what?
- Ag-Ab complexes in capillaries of visceral structures
2. host cells (thrombocytopenia)
SLE ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS
1. Estrogen stimulates what? 5
- Estrogen increases macrophage proto-oncogene expression and reduces what?
- What are immunosuppressive?
- What affect immunoreactivity and favor autoantibody production? 2
- T cells,
- B cells,
- macrophages,
- releases some cytokines, &
- cell adhesion molecules
- apoptosis in self-reactive B cells
- Androgens
- Progesterone and prolactin
Other SLE ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS? 3
- UV light exacerbates the disease
- Viruses can stimulate specific cells in the immune network:
- Some drugs can cause lupus-like syndromes:
- SLE flares can follow what?
- SLE pts have higher titers of what?
- What are two drugs that often cause lupus-like syndorme?
- Lupus flares may follow bacterial infections
- Patients w/ SLE have higher titers to EBV
- Procainamide
- Hydralazine
RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS (RA)
- Associated with what genes?
- Disease initiated how?
- Target is what?
- Autoantibodies are produced against what? 4
- Genetic predisposition—associated with HLA-DR4 and/or HLA-DR1
- Disease in initiated by activation of helper T cells responding to some arthritogenic agent (possibly microbial)
- Target is the synovial lining of joints
- Autoantibodies are produced against:
- Type II cartilage,
- Cartilage antigenic glycoprotein-39,
- Immunglobulin G,
- Citrullinated proteins and peptides
RA SYNOVITIS
1. Angiogenic cytokines stimulate growth of what?
- Results in what into joint?
- What activate endothelial cells—produce adhesion molecules? 2
- Together with transmigration of lymphocytes; PMNs enter where?
- Activated CD4+ cells:
Do what? 2
- new blood vessels
- transudation of fluid
- Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) &
- substance P
- synovial space
- Activate macrophages and other cells
- Activate B cells producing Abs
IMMUNE RESPONSE IN SYNOVIUM
1. Rheumatoid synovium has both what derived cytokines? 2
- Cytokines (IL-1 and TGF-alpha) also cause what? 2
- Activated rheumatoid synovium eventually destroys what? 2
- Simultaneously osteoclasts and osteoblasts are activated by synovial cytokines destroying what?
- lymphocyte and macrophage
- synovial and chondrocyte proliferation
- cartilage and tendons
- subchondral bone
RHEUMATOID FACTOR
1. 70% of patientss w/ RA are what?
- What are generated that are directed against the Fx portions of IgG?
- RF and IgG form immune complexes that do what? 2 and lead to?
- Circulating RF contributes to the what of RA? 2
- RF+
- Autoantibodies (IgM and some IgG)
- fix complement, attract neutrophils and
- lead to tissue injury
- extra-articular manifestations of RA and
- the synovial inflammation
- What is scleroderma?
- What do the autoantibodies in this stimulate? Causing?
- Which decades?
- Women or men?
- Two types? 2
- Diffuse fibrosis of skin and internal organs
- platelet derived growth factor receptors (PSGFR) causing fibroblast dysregulation
- 3rd through 5th decade
- 3 times more common in women than men
- Two types: Limited (80%) and Diffuse (20%)
LIMITED SCLERODERMA
1. 80% of cases—limited to where? 2
- What is CREST Syndrome? 5
- face and hands
- Calcinosis cutis
- Raynaud’s phenomenon
- Esophageal motility disorder
- Sclerodactyly
- Telangectasias
DIFFUSE SCLERODERMA
- What percent of cases?
- Main characteristic?
- Organ involvement of ?2
- More or less severe that limited?
- 20% of cases
- Tendon friction rubs over wrists, ankles, and knees
- Lung and cardiac involvement
- The more severe form