Week 1 Flashcards
Which type of immune system can some animals leave with alone?
Innate / non-sepcific
Is the innate immune response passive or active?
Passive
Does the innate immune response have memory?
No
How quickly does the innate immune system act?
Immediately.
Outline the components of the Innate immune system.
A barrier of protection ( skin, mucosal surfaces etc)
Chemicals produced by these surfaces.
What important cells are part of the innate immune system?
Natural Killer Cells, Macrophages, Neutrophils, Mast cells.
What are the 2 divisions of specific immunity?
Humoral
Cell mediated
What is specific immunity driven by and reliant on?
Receptors
Does the specific immune response have memory?
Yes
What are the 3 main stages of the adaptive immune response?
Recognition
Activation
Response
What type of immunity do T and B cells use?
Adaptive
Are homopolymers or heteopolymers more immunogenic?
Heteropolymers
What are the main types of antigens?
Autologous
Allogenic
Heretologous
What are Autologous antigens?
Self antigens and there will be no immune response.
Do Autologous antigens cause an immune response?
No
What are Allogenic Antigens?
They are from the same species as the host and there may be reactions.
In what scenarios are allogenic antigens often present in the body?
Blood transfusions
Kidney transplants
What are Heterologous antigens?
They are from a different species to the hose so will be rejected and cause an immune response.
Do Heterologous antigens trigger an immune response?
Yes
What are homopolymers?
A polymer consisting of identical monomer units.
What are heteropolymers?
A polymer consisting of 2 of more different types of monomer unit.
What is the specific names of antibody binding sites?
Epitopes
What are Epitopes?
Anywhere on a particular molecule that has an antibody binding site.
What are Haptens?
Partial antigens
What kind of immune responses do Haptens cause and how do they do this?
They do not elicit an immune response alone but can bind to other carrier molecules such as proteins which then provoke an immune response.
Are Haptens antigenic ?
Yes
Are Haptens immunogenic?
No
Why aren’t haptens immunogenic ?
They cannot trigger an immune response without the presence of another carrier molecule such as a protein.
Where do B cells originate from?
The bone marrow
In which systems do B cells travel?
In the blood and lymphatic systems.
How is ‘tolerance’ created by B cells once they have settled in the spleen or lymph nodes?
B cells come into constant contact with both foreign and self-antigens. Binding with self-antigens triggers cell death. This is negative selection and gives rise to tolerance.