HRR: antigen capture and presentation Flashcards
Describe cell mediated immunity
a division of the adaptive immune system that utilizes T cells that secrete cytokines and kill other cells. It is effective against intracellular microbes and tumors
Describe humoral immunity
A division of the adaptive immune system that utilizes antibodies made by B cells. It is effective against extracellular microbes, debris, and toxins.
Describe the basic function of MHC
MHC proteins present peptide antigens on the surface of cells.
How do T cells recognize antigens?
T cells have antigen receptors that interact with the MHC+peptide complex.
Describe the basic structure of MHC class I
has one polymorphic chain (alpha chain), one invariant chain (b2 microglobulin) that does not change from person to person. It is a chaperone protein and is not covalently linked the alpha chain
Describe the basic structure of MHC class II
has two polymorphic chains, alpha and beta.
Describe how MHC interacts with T cell receptors
The MHC has a pocket that the peptide lays in. the T cell receptor has a contact point for the peptide as well as contact points for residues of the MHC molecule. The T cell recognizes the combination of these 2, not just the peptide alone
Describe MHC restriction
A T cell recognizes the combination of MHC and peptide and will not recognize the same peptide if it is presented by a different MHC
What kind of T cells does MHC I present to?
CD8+ cytotoxic T cells
What kind of T cells does MHC II present to?
CD4+ helper T cells
Describe peptide binding in MHC’s
Peptide binding to MHC is noncovalent. MHC can bind one peptide at a time and can bind many potential peptides.
What happens if you do not have an MHC for a given peptide?
You cannot generate T cell immunity to it; therefore, MHC alleles you inherit determine which antigenic peptides your immune system can respond to
How do MHC genes tend to be inherited?
They’re inherited as a haplotype, meaning they’re inherited as a unit. This inheritance follows Mendelian genetics
What are the genotypes for MHC classes I and II?
Class I: HLA A, B, and C
Class II: HLA DP, DQ, and DR
Describe MHC codominance
we express each MHC allele from each parent on the cell surface equally. This means we have 6 different MHC class I molecules on all cells. There are about 12 possibilities for class II molecules on APC (3 classes, 2 chains, 2 from each parent in each class)
What are the two situations in which antigen presentation to T cells is required?
1.Naïve T cells require antigen presentation in order to undergo clonal expansion and maturation. This is done with dendritic cells
2.Effector T cells require antigen presentation to activate their functions, as T cells require MHC to ‘see’ peptide antigens
Which MHC is usually found on phagocytes?
MHC II
What kind of antigens to MHC I and II present?
MHC I: cytoplasmic antigens
MHC II: antigens collected from the extracellular environment
What are the 3 professional antigen presenting cells?
Dendritic cells, macrophages, B cells
Describe the function of dendritic cells in terms of antigen presentation
Present antigen to naïve T cells in secondary lymphoid organs (lymph node or spleen)
Describe the 2 types of dendritic cells
Classical: induce inflammatory response and secrete inflammatory cytokines
Plasmacytoid: activate antiviral response and make type I interferons
Describe the function of macrophages in terms of antigen presentation
Present antigen to stimulate effector T cell function in peripheral tissue
Describe the function of B cells in terms of antigen presentation
Present antigen to CD4 helper cells in order to receive their help to facilitate antibody production
Describe the two ways that antigen end up being transported to T cells
Antigens are transported to naïve T cells by either entering blood or lymph and get trapped by dendritic cells. In lymph they will be captured by lymph nodes, in the blood they’ll be captured by the spleen