Viruses and the immune system Flashcards
What is the purpose of the innate immune system?
Clear infections if there is a low dose challenge
Slow infections until the adaptive immune response ins activated
How does complement defend against viruses?
Not that important in a primary infection, though is useful in secondary infection along with antibody complexes
Opsonise particles: promote phagocytosis of infected cells or virus by cells with complement receptors
How do viruses use/evade complement?
Retroviruses activate it directly - thought increase cell tropism range
Use complement proteins as receptors
Evade complement e.g. VACV complement control protein
How do natural killer cells defend against viruses?
Have an Fc receptor
Kill cells if there is decreased MHC-I expression (some viruses down regulate)
Receptors that recognise stress proteins (including influenza HA and NA) and kill cells
How do NK cells kill?
Activated by IFNalpha/beta. Release cytocidal proteins in lytic granules e.g. perforin and granzymes
Upregulate Fas L and TRAIL
Accumulate by chemoattraction and proliferation
What cytokines/chemokines do NK cells produce?
Activated by IL-12
Early producer of IFNgamma (skews towards Th1)
Also makes TNFalpha and cytokines for immune cell survival
How do NK cells interact with dendritic cells?
DC production of IL-12 and IFNalpha/beta activates NK cells
NK cell production of TNFalpha triggers DC activation
What is the importance of NK cells in the defence from viruses?
Lack of NK cells results in potentially lethal infections of VZV and HCMV in humans and mice (MCMV).
How do macrophages defend against viruses?
M1 macrophages are useful - stimulated by inflammatory signals
Phagocytose opsonised infected cells and virions; up regulate IL-12; phagocytosis of infected cells limits inflammation (no killed cell contents released)
Antigen presenting cell for adaptive immune response
What do type 1 interferons do?
Includes IFN alpha and beta. Are induced (through PRRs, TLRs and IRF3/NFkB) secreted from virus infected cells and induce an antiviral state in neighbouring cells through the JAK/STAT signalling pathway (inducing ISGF-3 entering the nucleus as a dimer and binding ISRE at gene promoters), triggering the production of interferon stimulated genes
What does OAS do?
Oligoadenylate synthesise - an interferon stimulated gene. Activated by dsRNA. Makes oligoadenylate oligomers which activate RNAse L
What does RNAse L do?
Activated by OAS. Cleaves ssRNA. OAS remains located near dsRNA, so RNAse L cleaves ssRNAs near the dsRNA.
What does PKR do?
Activated by dsRNA. Phosphorylates itself to active, phosphorylates eIF2 to inactivate eIF2alpha to inhibit protein synthesis in a localised manner.
What are some examples of ISGs?
OAS, RNAse L, PKR
Mx proteins - inhibit viral molecular movement
dsRNA specific adenosine deaminase (A->inosine in dsRNA)
miRNAs
Intrinsic factors unregulated
Pro inflammatory cytokines eg. TNFalpha
Induce adaptive immunity
How do IFNs induce adaptive immunity?
Skew Th1
License dendritic cells
Activate NK cell killing
Give resistance to T cells against NK cell killing
What are type 2 interferons?
IFNgamma. Produced by T lymphocytes (CD8 and some CD4 e.g. Th1) and NK cells. Binds type II receptor. Induces expression of some ISGs (like type 1 - overlap). Lower antiviral activity than type 1 IFN. Induces an inflammatory response (Th1) and is very important for controlling systemic infections.
What does IFNgamma do?
Increases MHC I expression on macrophages, DC and endo/epithelial cells
Induces MHC II expression on some MHC II negative cells
Increases expression of immunoproteasome components and TAP for MHC cleavage
Promotes cell mediated immunity
How does IFNgamma promote cell mediated immunity?
Antagonist of IL-4 and IL-10 to encourage development of Th1 cells
Induces chemoattractants
Activates macrophages
Works with TNFalpha
What is the role of IFNgamma in defence against viruses?
Aids development of anti-viral immunity
Important in viral clearance - essential for vaccinia virus clearance
What do type 3 interferons do?
IFNlambda1,2,3. Expression is induced by PRRs, signal through JAK/STAT pathway. Unregulate similar genes to type 1 IFNs and increase MHC 1 expression. Target specific cells as expression of the receptor is not ubiquitous. Important in defending against flu (one of the target cells is epithelial cells)
What does TNFalpha do?
Produced by monocytes and macrophages (major) as well as CD8 T cells, NK cells and DC (minor). Can be membrane bound or soluble. Interaction with TNF-R1 induces apoptosis and inflammation. Localised expression is important for virus clearance.
Kills virally infected cells (apoptosis induction)
Induces expression of OAS and IFNbeta
Controls the inflammatory response
Works with IFN gamma and beta
How does the immune system detect viral RNA?
RIG-I like receptors such as RIG-I, MDA5. Bind ssRNA (RIG-I) and dsRNA (MDA5) in the cytosol by their helices domain. Induces IRF-3 or NFkB.
How does the immune system detect viral DNA?
DAI binds dsDNA in the cytosol along with other sensors. Cause inflammation
What are inflammasomes?
Complexes of NOD-like receptors/AIM2(a dsDNA receptor) with ASC and caspase-1. Cleaves proIL-1beta to IL-1beta.