Tolerance and Autoimmunity Flashcards
What is immunological tolerance?
A specific unresponsiveness to an Ag
Autoimmunity results from what?
A breakdown in tolerance
Where is central tolerance induced?
In immature self reactive lymphocytes in the primary lymphoid organs
What does central tolerance ensure?
That mature lymphocytes are not reactive to self Ags
Immature lymphocytes specific for self Age may encounter these Ags in the generative (central) lymphoid organs and are either what?
Deleted by apoptosis, change BCR specificity (B cells only) or develop into Treg cells
When is peripheral tolerance induced?
In mature self reactive lymphocytes in LNs or peripheral sites such as submucosal tissue and is needed to prevent the activation of these potentially dangerous lymphocyte clones in the periphery
What can happen to mature self reactive lymphocytes in the peripheral tissues?
Can be inactivated (anergy), deleted by apoptosis or suppressed by Treg cells
Which cytokine is a critical factor for survival and functional competence of Treg cells?
IL-2
What are induced Treg cells (iTregs)?
Mature Th0 cells outside the thymus that have acquired Treg phenotype and function (in LNs and GI tract)
Ag recognition by a naive Th cell in the presence of TGF-beta, IL-2 and RA induces what?
FOXP3 expression if IL-6 is not present resulting in the cell developing into a iTreg cell
Ag recognition by a naive Th cell in the presence of TGF-beta and IL-6 prevents what?
FOXP3 expression leading to Th17 cell differentiation
Retinoic acid, produced by DCs, facilities the generation of what?
Of FOXP3+ induced Treg cells from naive CD4+CD25- T cells
Natural Treg cells are generated by what?
Self ag recognition in the thymus
All B cells with a BCR containing the lambda IgL chain undergo what?
BCR editing
Which cell plays a key role in peripheral tolerance?
Tregs
What happens to a T cell that recognizes an Ag without adequate CD80:CD28 costimulation?
Becomes anergic and incapable of responding to the Ag