viral infections Flashcards
interferon: list the types of interferon, recall the cell types that produce them, explain how interferon synthesis is regulated, explain the role of type I interferon stimulated genes, recall examples of viruses controlling or evading type I interferon and explain how this can direct new therapy development, and summarise the canonical type I interferon signaling pathway
describe 3 stages of immune response to viruses
intrinsic (e.g. skin, mucous membranes etc.) -> innate immunity (within hours, no specificity) -> acquired immunity (specific)
describe presence of CpG in intrinsic immunity to viruses
different ratio of nucleotides (high CpG) seen as foreign and degraded by RNA exosome
what is interferon
soluble protein made by cellls infected by virus, and spreads to neighbouring cells
what does interferon bind to on neighbouring cells, and what is the signal outcome
binds to specific receptors and signals activation of de novo transcription of hundreds of interferon stimulated genes (ISGs) to prevent infection by virus
what are type 1 interferons and what are they secreted from
polypeptides secreted from infected cells
3 major functions of type 1 interferons
induce antimicrobial state in infected and neighbouring cells, modulate innate response to promote antigen presentation and natural killer, activate adaptive immune response
describe type 1 interferon pathway in infection
virus recognised by infected cell -> release interferon B -> binds to neighbouring cell receptors -> switches on ISGs -> causes response in APCs, B cells, T cells, NK cells etc.
2 subtypes of type 1 interferons
interferon a, interferon B
describe secretion and induction of interferon B
secreted by all cells, with IFNAR receptor present on all tissues; interferon B induction triggered by IRF-3
describe secretion of interferon a
plasmacytoid dendritic cells (PDCs) are specialist interferon a secreting cells
what do PDCs express high levels of constitutively
IRF-7 (transcription factor which stimulates transcription of interferon a)
describe genes and isotypes for interferon B vs interferon a
one gene for interferon B, 13/14 isotypes of interferon a
what type of interferon is type 2 interferon
interferon y
what cells produce interferon y
activated T cells and NK cells
what receptor do interferon y signal through
IFNGR
what type of interferon is type 3 interferon
interferon λ
what cells do interferon λ signal through
epithelial surfaces, so important in early infection, as well as liver cells (doesn’t affect immune cells)
what 2 liver viruses are polymorphisms in interferon λ associated with improved outcomes
improved outcome from hep C and hep B (both spontaneous clearance and response to antiviral therapy)
how do cells differentiate between self from non-self
look out for pathogen associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) on pathogens (e.g. viral genome) using pattern recognition receptors (PRRs)
3 pathogen recognition receptors which sense foreign nucleic acid (PAMPs)
cytoplasmic RIG-I like receptors (RLRs), endosomal toll-like receptors (TLRs), cytoplasmic nucleotide oligomerisation domain receptors (NLRs)
what do RIG-l and/or MDA-5 in RLRs bind to, and what is the effect pathway
bind to viral RNA -> change conformation to bind to MAVS on mitochondial membrane -> change conformation and cause downstream cascades -> phosphorylates IRF-3 (dimerises and acts as transcription factor for interferon B) -> interferon B produced
in dendritic cells, what does TLR-3 in endosome bind to, and what is the effect pathway
bind to viral RNA, and same pathway as RIG-l, so phosphorylate IRF-3 and lead to transcription of interferon B