(PM3A) Core Immunology Flashcards

1
Q

What is the role of the immune system?

A

Combat infection

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2
Q

What is an infection

A

Parasitism by microbes

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3
Q

What are the body’s barriers to entry against microbes?

A
  • Skin
  • Gastro-intestinal tract
  • Genitourinary tract
  • Respiratory
  • Mucous lining
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4
Q

What are the immune disease categories?

A
  • Infection
  • Hypersensitivity
  • Transplantation
  • Autoimmune
  • Cancer
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5
Q

(1) What groups of drugs are likely to be prescribed for a transplantation?

(2) Why?

A

(1)
- Glucocorticoids
- Anti-proliferatives
- Calcineurin inhibitors

(2) They are immunosuppressants - prevent rejection

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6
Q

What is a glucocorticoid?

A

An immunosuppressant

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7
Q

What is an anti-proliferative?

A

An immunosuppressant

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8
Q

What is a calcineurin inhibitor?

A

An immunosuppressant

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9
Q

(1) What groups of drugs are likely to be prescribed for an autoimmune condition?

(2) Why?

A

(1)
- Analgesics
- Glucocorticoids
- Anti-proliferatives
- Calcineurin inhibitors

(2) Symptom management + immune suppressants
- Reduce undesirable effects of immune response

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10
Q

What groups of drugs are likely to be prescribed for activation of the immune system?

A

(1) Vaccines

(2) Immune stimulators

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11
Q

What groups of drugs are likely to be prescribed for controlling hypersensitivity reactions?

A
  • Antihistamines
  • Glucocorticoids

FOR SYMPTOM MANAGEMENT

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12
Q

What groups of drugs are likely to be prescribed for cancer?

A
  • Checkpoint inhibitors
    ø PD1
    ø CTLA-4
  • Cancer vaccines
  • T cell immunotherapy
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13
Q

What are checkpoint inhibitors?

A

A cancer treatment

Blocks some proteins (called checkpoints) of some immune/ cancer cells

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14
Q

What groups of drugs can be prescribed to prevent infection?

A

(1) Vaccines

(2) Immune stimulators

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15
Q

(1) What drug category inhibits PD-1 and CTLA-4?

(2) When are drugs from this category prescribed?

A

(1) Checkpoint inhibitors

(2) Cancer therapy

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16
Q

(1) What are CTLA-4 and PD-1?

(2) What is their significance?

A

(1) Checkpoint proteins of the immune system/ cancer cells

(2) Their function is prevented by checkpoint inhibitors

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17
Q

What are the core concepts of immunology?

A

(1) Innate

(2) Adaptive

(3) Antigen specificity

(4) Lymphocytes

(5) Effector mechanisms

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18
Q

(1) How many core concepts of immunology are there?

(2) What are they?

A

(1) 5

(2)
- Innate
- Adaptive
- Antigen specificity
- Lymphocytes
- Effector mechanisms

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19
Q

(1) How many main types of immunity are there in vertebrates?

(2) What are the main types of immunity in vertebrates?

A

(1) 2 types

(2)
- Innate immunity
- Adaptive immunity

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20
Q

What are examples of the innate immunities present in vertebrates?

A
  • Evolved defence against microbes
  • Barriers: Skin/ stomach acid
  • Sequestration of nutrients
  • Antimicrobials: e.g. lysosome
  • Acute inflammation - tissue & cellular injury
  • Antiviral responses: e.g. interferon
  • Specific innate microbial recognition
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21
Q

What are the main giveaways of an acute inflammatory response?

A

(1) Dolor - Pain
(2) Calor - Heat
(3) Rubor - Redness
(4) Tumor - Swelling

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22
Q

What is Dolor?

A

Pain

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23
Q

What is Calor?

A

Heat

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24
Q

What is Rubor?

A

Redness

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25
Q

What is Tumor?

A

Swelling

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26
Q

What triggers/ causes acute inflammation?

A

Tissue/ cellular injury

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27
Q

Is tissue repair and healing part of the immune response?

A

No

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28
Q

How are microbes recognised by the body?

A

PAMP are different

(Pathogen Associated Molecular Patterns)

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29
Q

What does PAMP mean?

A

Pathogen Associated Molecular Patterns

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30
Q

What is LPS?

A

Lipopolysaccharides

Endotoxin

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31
Q

What is a lipopolysaccharide?

A

An endotoxin

LPS

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32
Q

What is the receptor for an endotoxin?

A

Toll-like receptor 4

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33
Q

What is the receptor for LPS?

A

Toll-like receptor 4

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34
Q

What is the receptor for lipopolysaccharide?

A

Toll-like receptor 4

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35
Q

What is Toll-like Receptor 4?

A

The binding site for endotoxins/ lipopolysaccharides (LPS)

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36
Q

What are examples of the adaptive immunities present in vertebrates?

A
  • Learned problems to antigens
  • Memory
  • Lymphocyte responses
  • Expansion of specific T and B cells
  • Production of antibodies
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37
Q

What cell are plasma cells created from?

A

B cells

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38
Q

What do B cells mature into?

A

Plasma cells

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39
Q

When are antibodies produced?

A

Following infection/ presence of a pathogen stimulating an immune response

Following ‘priming’.

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40
Q

With reference to immunology, what does ‘priming’ mean?

A

Contact of an immune cell with the antigen present on a pathogen/ microbe

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41
Q

What is the basis for adaptive immunity?

A

Antigen recognition

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42
Q

How do antibodies bind to specific antigens?

A

Variable region binds to antigen via bonding

Bonding includes:
- Hydrophobic
- Hydrophilic
- Van der waals
- Hydrogen
- Electrostatic

High affinity

Stable

43
Q

How can the binding of antibodies to antigens be described?

A

High affinity

Stable

44
Q

What is an MHC?

A

Cell of the immune system of vertebrates

Major histocompatibility complex

45
Q

What is a major histocompatibility complex?

A

Cell of the immune system of vertebrates

MHC

46
Q

Define epitope.

A

The part of an antigen that the antibody binds to

47
Q

What is the part of the antigen that the antibody binds to called?

A

Epitope

48
Q

Give examples of lymphocytes.

A

ø B cells - produces antibody
ø T cells - respond to peptides

49
Q

Which cells produce antibodies?

A

B cells

50
Q

Where do lymphocytes reside?

A
  • Blood
  • Lymph nodes
  • Bone marrow
51
Q

What is a lymphocyte?

A

Type of white blood cell in the vertebrate immune system

52
Q

What is the primary role of a lymphocyte?

A

Recognise and kill pathogens

53
Q

How do B cells (B lymphocytes) recognise antigens?

A

Directly bind to antigen

via receptor on pathogen cell surface

54
Q

What is a B lymphocyte?

A

B cell

Produces antibodies

Matures into plasma cells

55
Q

How do T cells (T lymphocytes) recognise antigens?

A

Bind the antigen peptide (epitope) to MHC on surface of dendritic cell

56
Q

What is a T lymphocyte?

A

T cell

Type of white blood cell in the vertebrate immune system

57
Q

What is a dendritic cell?

A

Antigen presenting cell

58
Q

Give an example of an antigen presenting cell.

A

Dendritic cell

59
Q

With reference to immunology, what is an APC?

A

Antigen presenting cell

e.g. dendritic cell

60
Q

(1) How many life stages do lymphocytes have?

(2) What are they?

A

(1) 3

(2)
Generation:
- Enable body to recognise anything
Priming + Replication + Clonal expansion:
- Learn what to respond to
- Memory
Effector function:
- Recognise and kill microbes/ pathogens

61
Q

With reference to immunology, what is the ‘effector function’?

A

Stage in the life-cycle of lymphocytes

Recognise and kill microbes/ pathogens

62
Q

How are lymphocytes generated?

A

Derived from bone marrow cells

Selected based on safe and effective function

63
Q

How do lymphocytes learn what to respond to?

A

Each one only recognises one specific peptide in new pathogen/ microbe

64
Q

How many times does a single T cell replicate?

A

≥20 times

In first 2-3 weeks

65
Q

How long does a T cell replicate for?

A

2-3 weeks

66
Q

What are lymphocytes primed by?

A

Innate stimulation of dendritic cells

67
Q

With reference to immunology, what does DC refer to?

A

Dendritic cell

68
Q

How is a dendritic cell written in short-hand?

A

DC

69
Q

With reference to immunology, what are effector cells?

A

T cells (lymphocytes)

B cells (lymphocytes)

70
Q

What do effector T cells differentiate to?

A

(1) Helper T cells

(2) Killer T cells

71
Q

What are the mechanisms of effector cells?

A

(1) Antibodies

(2) Types of T cell (lymphocyte)

72
Q

Define phagocytosis.

A

The process of a cell being engulfed by a phagocyte

73
Q

What are the types of antibody relevant to effector mechanisms?

A

(1) Binding and blocking

(2) Histamine

(3) Phagocytosis

74
Q

What are the types of T lymphocyte?

A

(1) Killers: Direct killing of virally infected cells

(2) Helpers:
ø Cytokine release -> Inflammation
ø Control B cell antibody response

75
Q

(1) What effect do antibodies have on bacterial toxins?

(2) What type of antibody has this direct effect on bacterial toxins

A

(1) Inactivates them

(2) Binding and blocking antibodies
- IgG
- IgA

76
Q

Which specific antibodies can bind and inactivate toxins?

A
  • IgG
  • IgA
77
Q

What mechanism of action do IgG and IgA antibodies have on viral infections?

A

Binding and blocking antibodies

Directly block viral infection

78
Q

What happens to a pathogen when IgG and IgM bind to an antigen on its surface?

A

Activates on antigen

Punches holes into cell wall

Directly kills

79
Q

Which specific types of antibody directly kills pathogens?

A

(1) IgG

(2) IgM

80
Q

Name some types of histamine antibodies.

A

Mast cells

81
Q

What antigen do mast cells have on the surface?

A

IgE

82
Q

What does recognition of IgE antigens trigger?

A

Histamine release

83
Q

What receptor do histamines recognise?

A

IgE

84
Q

What is IgE?

A

Immunoglobulin E

Histamine antibody

85
Q

What is IgG?

A

Immunoglobulin G

Phagocytosis, direct killing & binding and blocking antibody

86
Q

What is IgA?

A

Immunoglobulin A

Binding and blocking antibody

87
Q

What is IgM?

A

Immunoglobulin M

Direct killing antibody

88
Q

What are the types of T lymphocyte?

A

(1) CD8 Killer cells
- Directly kill virally infected cells

(2) CD4 Helper cells
- Trigger inflammation

89
Q

What is an MHC?

A

Major Histocompatibility Complex

90
Q

What is the mechanism of action for an MHC?

A

Binds to a peptide in the virally infected cell

Takes the peptide to a CD8 killer T cell receptor where it is recognised

91
Q

What is the mechanism of action of a CD8 killer T cell?

A

Binds to a peptide from an infected viral cell

Recognises and directly kills virally infected cells

92
Q

What is the mechanism of action of CD4 helper T cells?

A

Macrophage phagocyte encounters bacterial pathogen

MHC (on B cell) presents peptide from bacterial pathogen to CD4 helper T cell

Recognition of bacterial peptide triggers pro-inflammatory mediator release

Triggers large-scale antibody release from B cells

93
Q

What is the condition that destroys all CD4 T cells?

A

HIV - causes AIDS

94
Q

What characterises the causation of AIDS from an HIV infection?

A

Destruction of all CD4 helper T cells

95
Q

What is experimental gene therapy?

A

Experimental technique

Uses genes to treat or prevent disease

96
Q

What is SCID?

A

Severe Combined Immunodeficiency

Group of rare disorders - caused by gene mutations in immune cells

97
Q

What is the intention of experimental gene therapy?

A

To increase activation of immune cells (lymphocytes)

98
Q

What is the basic mechanism of action of vaccines?

A

Activation of pathogen specific immune responses

99
Q

What is the effect of recombinant cytokines?

A

Activate inflammatory response

100
Q

What is the effect of synthetic innate stimulatory drugs?

A

Activate inflammatory response

101
Q

When can adaptive immunity take place?

A

After priming

102
Q

What are the types of antigen on a pathogen/ microbe?

A

(1) Structural antigens

(2) Short-peptide antigens

103
Q

Which immune cell produces antibodies for a structural antigen on a pathogen/ microbe?

A

B cells (most common)

104
Q

Which immune cell produces antibodies for a short-peptide antigen on a pathogen/ microbe?

A

T cells

via T cell receptor