(PM3A) Core Immunology Flashcards by David Vincent-Waterson

What is the role of the immune system?

Combat infection

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What is an infection

Parasitism by microbes

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

Skin
Gastro-intestinal tract
Genitourinary tract
Respiratory
Mucous lining

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What are the immune disease categories?

Infection
Hypersensitivity
Transplantation
Autoimmune
Cancer

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

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

(2) They are immunosuppressants - prevent rejection

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What is a glucocorticoid?

An immunosuppressant

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What is an anti-proliferative?

An immunosuppressant

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What is a calcineurin inhibitor?

An immunosuppressant

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

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

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

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

(1) Vaccines

(2) Immune stimulators

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

Antihistamines
Glucocorticoids

FOR SYMPTOM MANAGEMENT

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

- Checkpoint inhibitors
     ø PD1
     ø CTLA-4
- Cancer vaccines
- T cell immunotherapy

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What are checkpoint inhibitors?

A cancer treatment

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

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What groups of drugs can be prescribed to prevent infection?

(1) Vaccines

(2) Immune stimulators

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

(2) When are drugs from this category prescribed?

(1) Checkpoint inhibitors

(2) Cancer therapy

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

(2) What is their significance?

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

(2) Their function is prevented by checkpoint inhibitors

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What are the core concepts of immunology?

(1) Innate
(2) Adaptive
(3) Antigen specificity
(4) Lymphocytes
(5) Effector mechanisms

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

(2) What are they?

(1) 5

(2)

Innate
Adaptive
Antigen specificity
Lymphocytes
Effector mechanisms

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

(1) 2 types

2
- Innate immunity
- Adaptive immunity

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What are examples of the innate immunities present in vertebrates?

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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What are the main giveaways of an acute inflammatory response?

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

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What is Dolor?

Pain

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What is Calor?

Heat

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What is Rubor?

Redness

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What is Tumor?

Swelling

What triggers/ causes acute inflammation?

Tissue/ cellular injury

Is tissue repair and healing part of the immune response?

How are microbes recognised by the body?

PAMP are different | Pathogen Associated Molecular Patterns

What does PAMP mean?

Pathogen Associated Molecular Patterns

What is LPS?

Lipopolysaccharides Endotoxin

What is a lipopolysaccharide?

An endotoxin LPS

What is the receptor for an endotoxin?

Toll-like receptor 4

What is the receptor for LPS?

Toll-like receptor 4

What is the receptor for lipopolysaccharide?

Toll-like receptor 4

What is Toll-like Receptor 4?

The binding site for endotoxins/ lipopolysaccharides (LPS)

What are examples of the adaptive immunities present in vertebrates?

- Learned problems to antigens - Memory - Lymphocyte responses - Expansion of specific T and B cells - Production of antibodies

What cell are plasma cells created from?

B cells

What do B cells mature into?

Plasma cells

When are antibodies produced?

Following infection/ presence of a pathogen stimulating an immune response Following 'priming'.

With reference to immunology, what does 'priming' mean?

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

What is the basis for adaptive immunity?

Antigen recognition

How do antibodies bind to specific antigens?

Variable region binds to antigen via bonding Bonding includes: - Hydrophobic - Hydrophilic - Van der waals - Hydrogen - Electrostatic High affinity Stable

How can the binding of antibodies to antigens be described?

High affinity Stable

What is an MHC?

Cell of the immune system of vertebrates Major histocompatibility complex

What is a major histocompatibility complex?

Cell of the immune system of vertebrates MHC

Define epitope.

The part of an antigen that the antibody binds to

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

Epitope

Give examples of lymphocytes.

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

Which cells produce antibodies?

B cells

Where do lymphocytes reside?

- Blood - Lymph nodes - Bone marrow

What is a lymphocyte?

Type of white blood cell in the vertebrate immune system

What is the primary role of a lymphocyte?

Recognise and kill pathogens

How do B cells (B lymphocytes) recognise antigens?

Directly bind to antigen via receptor on pathogen cell surface

What is a B lymphocyte?

B cell Produces antibodies Matures into plasma cells

How do T cells (T lymphocytes) recognise antigens?

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

What is a T lymphocyte?

T cell Type of white blood cell in the vertebrate immune system

What is a dendritic cell?

Antigen presenting cell

Give an example of an antigen presenting cell.

Dendritic cell

With reference to immunology, what is an APC?

Antigen presenting cell e.g. dendritic cell

(1) How many life stages do lymphocytes have? | (2) What are they?

(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

With reference to immunology, what is the 'effector function'?

Stage in the life-cycle of lymphocytes Recognise and kill microbes/ pathogens

How are lymphocytes generated?

Derived from bone marrow cells Selected based on safe and effective function

How do lymphocytes learn what to respond to?

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

How many times does a single T cell replicate?

≥20 times In first 2-3 weeks

How long does a T cell replicate for?

2-3 weeks

What are lymphocytes primed by?

Innate stimulation of dendritic cells

With reference to immunology, what does DC refer to?

Dendritic cell

How is a dendritic cell written in short-hand?

With reference to immunology, what are effector cells?

T cells (lymphocytes) B cells (lymphocytes)

What do effector T cells differentiate to?

(1) Helper T cells | (2) Killer T cells

What are the mechanisms of effector cells?

(1) Antibodies | 2) Types of T cell (lymphocyte

Define phagocytosis.

The process of a cell being engulfed by a phagocyte

What are the types of antibody relevant to effector mechanisms?

(1) Binding and blocking (2) Histamine (3) Phagocytosis

What are the types of T lymphocyte?

(1) Killers: Direct killing of virally infected cells (2) Helpers: ø Cytokine release -> Inflammation ø Control B cell antibody response

(1) What effect do antibodies have on bacterial toxins? | (2) What type of antibody has this direct effect on bacterial toxins

(1) Inactivates them (2) Binding and blocking antibodies - IgG - IgA

Which specific antibodies can bind and inactivate toxins?

- IgG | - IgA

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

Binding and blocking antibodies Directly block viral infection

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

Activates on antigen Punches holes into cell wall Directly kills

Which specific types of antibody directly kills pathogens?

(1) IgG | (2) IgM

Name some types of histamine antibodies.

Mast cells

What antigen do mast cells have on the surface?

IgE

What does recognition of IgE antigens trigger?

Histamine release

What receptor do histamines recognise?

IgE

What is IgE?

Immunoglobulin E Histamine antibody

What is IgG?

Immunoglobulin G Phagocytosis, direct killing & binding and blocking antibody

What is IgA?

Immunoglobulin A Binding and blocking antibody

What is IgM?

Immunoglobulin M Direct killing antibody

What are the types of T lymphocyte?

(1) CD8 Killer cells - Directly kill virally infected cells (2) CD4 Helper cells - Trigger inflammation

What is an MHC?

Major Histocompatibility Complex

What is the mechanism of action for an MHC?

Binds to a peptide in the virally infected cell Takes the peptide to a CD8 killer T cell receptor where it is recognised

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

Binds to a peptide from an infected viral cell Recognises and directly kills virally infected cells

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

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

What is the condition that destroys all CD4 T cells?

HIV - causes AIDS

What characterises the causation of AIDS from an HIV infection?

Destruction of all CD4 helper T cells

What is experimental gene therapy?

Experimental technique Uses genes to treat or prevent disease

What is SCID?

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

What is the intention of experimental gene therapy?

To increase activation of immune cells (lymphocytes)

What is the basic mechanism of action of vaccines?

Activation of pathogen specific immune responses

What is the effect of recombinant cytokines?

Activate inflammatory response

What is the effect of synthetic innate stimulatory drugs?

Activate inflammatory response

When can adaptive immunity take place?

After priming

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

(1) Structural antigens | (2) Short-peptide antigens

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

B cells (most common)

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

T cells via T cell receptor