Tutorial 5 - Tumor immunology

Question 1

CARDINAL FEATURES OF ADAPTIVE IMMUNE RESPONSES: state the functional significance of specificity

Answer 1

ensures immune response to pathogen targets only that pathogen

Question 2

CARDINAL FEATURES OF ADAPTIVE IMMUNE RESPONSES: state the functional significance of diversity

Answer 2

enables immune system to respond to wide variety of pathogens

Question 3

CARDINAL FEATURES OF ADAPTIVE IMMUNE RESPONSES: state the functional significance of memory

Answer 3

augments ability to fight off repeated infections by same pathogen

Question 4

CARDINAL FEATURES OF ADAPTIVE IMMUNE RESPONSES: state the functional significance of clonal expansion

Answer 4

increases number of antigen-specific lymphocytes, matching the force of growing pathogen population

Question 5

CARDINAL FEATURES OF ADAPTIVE IMMUNE RESPONSES: state the functional significance of specialisation

Answer 5

generates responses especially effective against certain pathogens

Question 6

CARDINAL FEATURES OF ADAPTIVE IMMUNE RESPONSES: state the functional significance of contraction and homeostasis

Answer 6

allows immune system to recover after mounting an immune response, in preparation for the next

Question 7

CARDINAL FEATURES OF ADAPTIVE IMMUNE RESPONSES: state the functional significance of nonreactivity to self

Answer 7

prevents injury to host during immune response

Question 8

state the phases of the adaptive immune responses?

Answer 8

1. Antigen recognition
2. Lymphocyte activation
3. Antigen elimination
4. Contraction (homeostasis)
5. Memory

Question 9

‘antigen elimination’ is AKA?

Answer 9

effector phase

Question 10

what occurs during the 4th phase of the adaptive immune response?

Answer 10

CONTRACTION:
antigen-stimulated lymphocytes die by apoptosis, homeostasis is restored and antigen specific cells which survive become memory cells

Question 11

t/f: the duration of each of the phases in an adaptive immune response is always the same

Answer 11

false - may vary

Question 12

define the abscopal effect?

Answer 12

Phenomenon within treatment of metastatic cancer where localized treatment of tumor causes shrinkage of not only this tumor, but also tumors in different compartments around the tumor

Question 13

Generally, what does the abscopal effect apply to?

Answer 13

single-tumor, localised radiation therapy

Question 14

How common is the abscopal effect?

Answer 14

extremely rare

Question 15

Explain how the abscopal effect works?

Answer 15

1. X-ray irradiator directly kills the localised tumor
2. APC cells take antigen from this tumor, travel in blood to CD8 T cells
3. CD8 T cells now know what to look for, go on hunt for and destroy secondary tumors

Question 16

how can non-pathogenic microbes be beneficial?

Answer 16

1. digestion
2. energy for metabolism
3. make essential vitamins
4. Act as

Question 17

t/f: there is 10x more human cells then microbial cells (non-human) in the human body

Answer 17

false - other way around

Question 18

Describe how a childs microbiome forms?

Answer 18

• infants are born sterile (microbe free)
• first inoculum of microbes during childbirth (vaginal)
• then thru breast milk more introduced
• few weeks -> millions
• few years -> stable amounts

Question 19

t/f: the characteristics of
human microbiota
change over time in
response to varying
environmental
conditions and life
stages

Answer 19

true - all diff types of bacteria n stuff haha

Question 20

describe the relationship between microbes and a newborns immune system?

Answer 20

Maturing immune system relies on resident microbial communities to distinguish self and non-self, and develop various immune cells. For example, newborn’s gut microbiota trigger development and maturation of immune cells.

Resident microbial communities must be classified as ‘self’ because they are needed for various functions; immune system consults these communities (effectively functioning as memory banks) when a new microbe is encountered (basically, I.S. is like yo is he with you???)

Question 21

Where are most the microbes in our immune system?

Answer 21

Mostly large intestine, but different groups of microbes prefer different areas

Question 22

What contributes to the colonization/ growth of resident microbial communities?

Answer 22

Diet, hormones, bodily fluids, skin oils, genetic makeup, where we live etc

Question 23

t/f: each person has own strains of microbes

Answer 23

true

Question 24

State part of common medical practice which may be altering the balance of microbial communities?

Answer 24

antibiotics!

Question 25

How do antibiotics routine use pose a threat in terms of collateral damage to the human body?

Answer 25

1. production of antibiotic resistant bacteria (superbug)

2. unintended death of non-targeted bacteria (normal flora)

Question 26

what causes antibiotic resistance to form?

Answer 26

patients don’t fully finish script, remaining bug community were the resistant ones, then its essentially the founder effect

Question 27

It is thought there is a linkage between unintended antibiotic related microbiome destruction and what?

Answer 27

increased autoimmune disease - as body can no longer readily detect self and non-self

Question 28

examples of autoimmune diseases?

Answer 28

rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, celiac, diabetes

Question 29

explain the linkage between cancer treatment and microbiomes?

Answer 29

• patients recover faster when microbiomes in tact
• radiation and chemotherapy destroy microbiomes as collateral, this is why these treatments are hard to endure
• this encountered for by doctor’s storing patient microbiome (stool) before treatment, then inoculating patients with microbiome so they may quickly re-establish