Lecture 9 - Dendritic Cells and Antigen Processing Flashcards
How is adaptive immunity triggered?
By capturing and presenting of foreign materials to cells that can recognize it
What cells trigger adaptive immuntiy
antigen presenting cells
3 major antigen presenting cells
- Dendritic cells
- Macrophages
- B-cells
What are APCs attracted by
microbial products and tissue damage and
are activated by the triggers of inflammation
What is an advantage of DCs and macrophages also being sentinel cells
antigen processing can be rapidly initiated as body is responding to the microbial insult
How do APCs capture foreign microbes and process them
process large proteins by breaking them into peptides and presenting on their surfaces attached to specialized antigen-presenting structures, called Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHCs)
What are the only cells that can trigger naive T cells and what response do they trigger
dendritic cells, primary immune response
Dendritic cells
special APCs that are especially important in activating a naïve T cell and triggering a primary response
B cells
Present antigen to memory TH cells
Macrophages
Present antigen to memory TH cells
DCs are primarily present in
epithelial tissues (skin, mucosa) and in lymphoid organs (lymph nodes, spleen, thymus
Major functions of dendritic cells
- Serve as sentinel cells - activate innate defenses
- Process exogenous antigens - initiate adaptive immune system
- Regulate adaptive immunity
How much more efficiient are DCs as APCs
100x
What can DCs take up
dead microorganisms, soluble antigens, antigen
released by dead cells, etc.
How are follicular dendritic cells different from other DCs
I. do not migrate
II. are located in lymphoid follicles (B-cell area)
III. lack MHC II molecules on their surface
IV. carry many complement and Fc receptors
How long can FDCs retain antigen
many weeks
T/F FDCs process antigens
FALSE
Primary function of FDCs
present antigen to B cells
What FDC look like
octopus with a large number of tentacles! The “tentacles” are beaded dendrites.
Beads on FDCs are …
antigen:antibody complexes that have attached to the dendrites via complement and Fc receptors
Immune complexes on FDCs form
spherical bodies called iccosomes
What happens when iccosomes break off from dendrites
attach to B cells
What happens after iccosomes attach to B cells
ingested by activated B cells with BCRs specific for antigen, antigen processed, B cell presents antigen on MHC II molecules to activated TH cell
Macropinocytosis
DCs in epithelium take in extracellular fluid to sample for signs of pathogens and their products