Primary Immune Deficiency 2 Flashcards
- Briefly outline how lymphocytes are derived from stem cells in the bone marrow.
Some will develop into pre-T cells which leave the bone marrow and undergo thymic selection in the thymus to become mature CD4 or CD8 T lymphocytes
Pre- and Pro-B cells can leave the bone marrow and become IgM B cells
These cells can then produce an early IgM response and become IgM memory and plasma B cells
They can also undergo a germinal centre reaction and undergo class switching and affinity maturation
- Name a defect in stem cells that causes SCID and name the gene that is mutated.
Reticular dysgenesis – adenylate kinase 2 (AK2)
- What is the most common type of SCID?
X-linked SCID
- Which mutation is responsible for X-linked SCID?
Mutation in common gamma chain on Xq13.1
This is a component of many cytokine receptors leading to an inability to respond to cytokines, causing arrest in T and NK cell development and the production of immature B cells
- Describe the typical cell counts you would expect to see in X-linked SCID.
Very low T cells
Very low NK cells
Normal or increased B cells
Low immunoglobulin
- Describe the pathophysiology of adenosine deaminase deficiency.
This is an enzyme required by lymphocytes for cell metabolism
ADA deficiency leads to failure of maturation along any lineage
- Describe the typical cell counts you would expect to see in ADA deficiency.
Very low T cells
Very low B cells
Very low NK cells
- Describe the clinical phenotype of SCID.
Unwell by 3 months age (once protection by maternal IgG dissipates)
Infections of all types
Failure to thrive
Persistent diarrhoea
Unusual skin disease (colonisation of infant’s empty bone marrow by maternal lymphocytes can cause a graft-versus-host disease-like condition)
Family history of early death
- What are the two mechanisms by which CD8+ T cells kill cells?
Perforin and granzyme
Fas ligand
- Which cellular insults are CD8+ T cells particularly important in protecting against?
Viral infections
Tumour
- In which group of syndromes does the thymus gland fail to develop properly?
22q11.2 deletion syndromes (e.g. Di George syndrome)
This is characterised by failure of development of the pharyngeal pouch
- What are the main clinical features of 22q11.2 deletion syndromes?
Facial abnormalities (high forehead, low set ears, cleft palate, small mouth and jaw)
Underdeveloped parathyroid gland (resulting in hypocalcaemia)
Oesophageal atresia
Underdeveloped thymus
Complex congenital heart disease
- What are the immunological consequences of an underdeveloped thymus gland?
Normal B cell count
Low T cell count
Homeostatic proliferation with age (T cell numbers increase with age)
Immune function is mildly impaired and tends to improve with age
- What condition is caused by a deficiency of MHC Class II? Briefly outline its pathophysiology.
Bare lymphocyte syndrome (BLS) type 2
Deficiency of MHC Class II means that CD4+ T cells cannot be selected in the thymus leading to CD4+ T cell deficiency
- Which defect leads to Bare lymphocyte syndrome?
Defects in the regulatory proteins involved in expression of class II genes:
• Regulatory factor X
• Class II transactivator