Week 10: Host Defense Flashcards
innate immunity
• Physical and chemical barriers that exists to prevent infection from occurring in the first
place
• Non-specific, primary response mechanisms
adaptive immunity
• Highly coordinated and specific response to a particular pathogen
Anatomical Barriers:
Physical • Skin • Mucus • Cilia Chemical • Stomach acid • Enzymes in tears • Gland secretions
Pattern recognition receptors (PRR)
recognize structures that are shared by a class of microbes
Toll-like receptors (TLRs),
expressed on Macrophages and Dendritic cells,
recognize different classes of microbial structures; 10 unique TLRs exist;
When PRRs recognize their target molecule,
the macrophage or the dendritic cell will
release cytokines into the environment.
The cytokines released by a macrophage or dendritic cell are specific
to
the type of PRR that was triggered, and thus is specific to the type/ class of pathogen.
Interferons
signal to neighbouring cells that a viral infection is present. This shuts down
the neigbouring cells’ ability to synthesize proteins so that viral replication is inhibited
and spread is slowed in the area
If the innate response isn’t sufficient to reduce the infection,
the
adaptive response is activated
The bridge between the innate and the adaptive immune response
are the
antigen presenting cells (APCs).
Now loaded with antigen,
the APC must present
antigen to a
lymphocyte to
stimulate an adaptive
response
T cells develop from
lymphocyte precursor cells in the bone marrow
and complete their maturation in the thymus (hence, T-cell)
There are two types of T-cells
- Th cells – Helper T-cells
* Tc cells – Cytotoxic T-cells
If the TCR recognizes the antigen,
the
Th cell is activated
Upon activation Th cells
Proliferate Begin to produce effector cytokines that support either the • Cell-mediated response • Humoral response
For intracellular pathogens (viruses, intracellular bacteria)
Th cells will release IL-12, among other cytokines, which will activate Tc cells
Upon activation, Tc cells
• Proliferate
• Circulate through the body and scan all
cells for antigen
• When the TCR recognizes its specific
antigen, it kills the infected host cell to
prevent further spread
Upon activation, most Th and Tc cells become
effector T-cells;
however, some become memory T-cells
Effector T-cells
Elicit the primary response and mediate their effects immediately
Memory T-cells
- Do not respond immediately; are mostly inactive
* Long lived cell
B cells develop from
lymphocyte precursor cells in
the bone marrow and complete their maturation in
there as well
B-cells require two signals to
activate it
• Specific antigen-antibody interaction
• Cytokines secreted by Th cells;
generally IL-4 and IL-5
Activated B-cells will proliferate and
develop into either:
• Effector B-cells; called plasma cells
which secrete antibodies
• Memory B-cells; long-lasting cells
Neutralization
• Binds to the surface of pathogens, effectively
blocking their access to infect other cells