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Immunology > Week 1 - Elements of the Immune System > Flashcards

Week 1 - Elements of the Immune System Flashcards

1
Q

What is immunology?

A

The study of the mechanisms that the body uses to defend against invading organisms and foreign substances in our environment

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2
Q

What is the immune system?

A

The body’s defense system that is made of tissues, cells, and molecules that fight against infectious agents

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3
Q

What is immunity?

A

The state of protection against foreign pathogens or substances

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4
Q

What are the major attributes of the immune system?

A
  1. It has the ability to distinguish self and non-self molecules
  2. There are 3 major lines of defenses
  3. It was the ability to generate immunologic memory
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5
Q

How does your distinguish self from non-self molecules?

A

Immune cells have inherited receptors to can recognize

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6
Q

What is pathogenesis?

A

The process by which pathogens induce disease

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7
Q

What are the 4 major categories of pathogens?

A
  1. Viruses
  2. Fungi
  3. Parasites
  4. Bacteria
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8
Q

What are the immune system’s layers of defense?

A
  1. Anatomical and physiological barriers
  2. Innate immune system
  3. Adaptive immune system
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9
Q

What are the non-specific defenses?

A
  1. Anatomical and physiological barriers
  2. Innate immune system
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10
Q

What are the specific defenses?

A

Adaptive immune system

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11
Q

What are examples of Anatomical and physiological barriers?

A
  1. Mechanical
  2. Chemical
  3. Microbiological
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12
Q

What are examples of innate immune system defenses?

A
  1. Phagocytic cells
  2. Complement
  3. Pattern recognition receptors
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13
Q

What are examples of adaptive immune system defenses?

A

Lymphocytes

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14
Q

What is the first line of defense?

A

Physiological barriers (Skin)

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15
Q

What comprises of the physiological barrier?

A

Intact skin and mucous membranes (mechanical barriers) providing physical separation

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16
Q

How does skin provide defense?

A

Forms a dry, watertight barrier of epithelium protected by keratinized cells

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17
Q

How does sweat and sebum provide protection?

A

Secrete antimicrobial peptides

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18
Q

What are antimicrobial peptides secreted by sweat and sebum?

A
  1. a and b-defensins
  2. cathelicidin
  3. lysozyme
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19
Q

What are commensal microbes?

A

Produces fatty acid that inhibits colonization by other microbes

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20
Q

Where are mucosal surfaces located?

A

Epithelia surfaces lining the respiratory, GI, and urogenital tract

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21
Q

What are the components of mucus?

A
  1. Glycoproteins
  2. Proteoglycans
  3. Enzymes
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22
Q

What is the defensive the function for mucus?

A

Contains
1. Glycoproteins
2. Proteoglycans
3. Enzymes
that protect surfaces against damage and infection

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23
Q

What is the defensive the function for tears and saliva?

A

Contains lysozymes that kill bacteria by breaking down their cell walls

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24
Q

What are physiological barriers of the respiratory tract?

A
  1. Nose hairs
  2. Cilia
  3. Mucous
  4. Microcidal molecules
  5. Commensal microbes
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25
What are physiological barriers of the GI tract?
1. pH of the stomach (1-3) 2. Mucus 3. Enzymes 4. Microcidal molecules 5. Commensal microbes
26
What are the physiological barriers of the UGT?
1. pH 4.4 2. Mucous 3. Microcidal molecules 4. Fluid pressure 5. Commensal moicrobes
27
Why should the stomach, vagina, and skin maintain an acidic environment?
Deters microorganism growth
28
What is a microbiome?
Numerous commensal microorganisms inhabit healthy human bodies
29
What is purpose of a microbiome?
To protect our body against pathogens
30
What is the ratio of human to microorganisms?
1:1
31
Where is microbiota found in the body?
1. Gut 2. Skin 3. Mouth 4. Vagina
32
What are the functions of commensal bacteria?
1. Help digest food in gut 2. Make vitamins (B12, K, biotin, folic acid) 2. Help protect against colonization by disease-causing microorganism
33
What is commensal bacteria?
Major component of gut flora E.coli that recreates antibacterial proteins colicins that prevent other bacteria from colonizing the gut
34
What are opportunistic pathogens?
Takes advantage of the body's weakened defenses or when microbes get into the wrong place
35
How can antibiotics disrupt the ecology of the colon?
1. Colon contains large number of commensal bacteria 2. Antibiotics kill many of the commensal bacteria 3. Opportunistic pathogens produce toxins causing microbial injury 4. Red and white BC leak into gut between injured epithelial cells
36
What is an example of a disease-causing bacteria that establishes in the gut and can lead to death?
Clostridium difficile
37
What are the routes pathogens can enter the body to evoke an innate immune response?
1. Oral 2. Mechanical 3. Inhalation
38
What are the characteristics of an innate response?
1. Non-specific and quick 2. Leads to inflammation serving to keep infections localized to site of entry and is controlled and terminated
39
What is the process of innate immune response?
1. Bacterial cell surface induces cleavage and activation of complement 2. One complement fragment covalently bonds to the bacterium, the other attracts an effector cell 3. The complement receptor on effector cell binds to the complement fragment on the bacterium 4. The effector cell engulfs the bacterium, kills it, and breaks down
40
What orchestrates adaptive immunity?
Lymphocytes
41
How do lymphocytes play a role in adaptive immunity?
1. Adapt their responses to the invading pathogen 2. Recognizes specific pathogens using surface receptors
42
What is an antigen?
Lymphocytes that make the receptor specific for a specific region on the pathogen
43
What is the difference between immunological memory and vaccines?
IM: Lymphocytes are clonal selected to evoke a long or short response V: Induce IM evoking a fast and strong immune response
44
What is primary immune response?
1. First exposure of pathogen 2. Memore lymphocytes are left behind after pathogen is cleared
45
What is secondary immune response?
1. Subsequent exposure to the same pathogen 2. Re-stimulates the memory lymphocytes 3. Reactivation causes a faster, stronger, and better response
46
Compare the response time of innate and adaptive?
I: Minute to hrs A: Days
47
Compare the specificity of innate and adaptive?
I: limited and fixed A: Highly diverse, improve during immune response
48
Compare the response to repeat infection of innate and adaptive?
I: Same each time A: more rapid and effective
49
Compare the major components of innate and adaptive?
I: Barriers, phagocytes, pattern recognition molecules A: T and B cells, antigen specific receptors, antibodies
50
What is necessary to clear an infection?
Both innate and adaptive immune responses
51
What are hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs)?
RBC derived from pluripotent bone marrow stem cells
52
What are the classifications of leukocytes and what is the immunity associated with the two?
1. Myeloid (innate) 2. Lymphoid (acquired)
53
What are the major types of progenitors?
1. Common myeloid progenitor (CMP) cells 2. Common lymphoid progenitor (CLP) cells
54
What are examples of antigen-presenting cells (APC)?
Monocytes/macrophages, dendrite cells, and B cells
55
What are the types of common myeloid progenitors?
1. Erythrocytes (RBC) 2. Megakaryocytes 3. Monocytes 4. Granulocytes
56
What are megakaryocytes?
Form platelets, cell fragments placed into circulation for clotting
57
What are the types of granulocytes?
1. Neutrophils 2. Eosinophil 3. Basophil/Mast cells
58
What is the difference between basil and mast cells?
Baso: Found in blood Mast: Found in tissues
59
Where are monocytes found?
Circulated in the blood (short lived 1-2 days)
60
What does monocytes serve as a precursor to?
Macrophages: monocytes migrates into tissues Dendritic cells: predominately in portals of microbial entry (mucosal surfaces)
61
What is the function go macrophages?
1. Phagocytes that function to repair/remodel, destroy pathogens, present antigens (Long lived - months) 2. Activation of T cells and initiation of immune responses
62
What is the function of dendritic cells?
1. High degree of function to ingest particles and cells by phagocytosis and present their antigens to lymphocytes 2. Activation of T cells and initiation of immune responses
63
What is the function of neutrophil?
Phagocytosis and killing microbes
64
What is the function of eosinophils?
Killing antibody-coated parasites through release of granule contents
65
What is the function of basophil?
Controlling immune responses to parasites
66
What is the function of mast cells?
Release of granules containing histamine and active agents
67
What is most abundant leukocyte of innate immunity?
Neutrophils
68
What is leukocytosis?
The transient increase in neutrophil numbers and used as an indicator of an infection
69
How does neutrophils evoke an immune response?
1. Move into tissues by extravasation 2. Secrete chemotactic factors that promote accumulation of neutrophils at an inflammatory site 3. Engulfs a variety of microbes by phagocytosis and destroy them with substances in their granules 4. Short-lived and dies after ingesting microbes
70
Where do dead neutrophils go?
Phagocytized by long-lived macrophages
71
What are where are macrophages in tissues?
1. Intestinal 2. Alveolar (lung) 3. Histiocytes (connective tissue) 4. Kupffer (liver) 5. Mesangial (kidney) 6. Microglial (brain) 7. Osteoclasts (bone)
72
What are the types of common lymphoid progenitor?
1. B cell 2. T cells (thymocyte) 3. NK cell
73
What is a B cell?
Immunoglobulins that serve as a cell surface receptors
74
What are plasma cells?
Differentiated effector B cells that secrete antibodies
75
What are NK cells?
Granular non-phagocytic lymphocytes that are effective against viral infections and malignant cells
76
How are B and T cells recognized?
Antigen receptors
77
What are antibodies?
Soluble Ig's secreted by plasma cells
78
How are antigens recognized by B and T cells?
Antigen presenting cells
79
Where is the binding site of an antigen located?
The surface Ig or TCR
80
How many antigens are specific to each BCR and TCR?
One
81
What do B cells differentiate to?
plasma cells secreting antibodies
82
What do lymphocytes differentiate into?
Effector cells
83
What do T cells differentiate into?
types of effector T cells on various conditions
84
What do NK cells differentiate into?
They don't have a specific antigen receptor and act similar to cells involved in an innate immune response
85
What are the primary lymphoid tissues?
Thymus and bone marrow
86
Where do B and T cells originate from?
common lymphoid progenitor in the bone marrow
87
Where do T cells mature?
Thymus
88
Where do B cells mature
Bone marrow
89
What are the secondary lymphoid tissues?
1. Spleen 2. Lymph nodes 3. Peyers patches 4. Appendix 5. Tonsils
90
What is the purpose of secondary lymphoid tissues?
Where lymphocytes are stimulated and respond to invading pathogens
91
What are lymph nodes?
Collect plasma that leak through blood vessels and return the fluid back to the blood as lymph
92
What does lymph movement depend on?
Body movement
93
What causes edemas?
Lack of movement for longer periods of time
94
What routes move lymphocytes throughout the body?
Blood and lymph
95
Describe the route of lymphocyte movement?
1. Lymphocytes leave primary lymphoid tissues and travel through the blood to the lymph or secondary lymphoid tissue. 2. If they come into contact with a pathogen and become activated, they remain in the lymph node. 3. Lymphocytes continuously move from the blood to the lymph back to the blood. 4. Allows for continuous surveillance of the secondary lymphoid tissues for signs of infection.
96
What is a draining lymph node?
A lymph node that receives fluid from an infected site
97
What is movement of the lymph?
Infected tissue -> afferent lymphatic vessel -> macrophages filter out pathogens _> DC's activate lymphocytes -> lymphocytes proliferate -> lymph node swells
98
Describe the activation of adaptive immunity in draining lymph node?
1. Pathogens, pathogen components, and DC’s carrying pathogens leave site of infection and enter the afferent lymphatic vessel of draining lymph node. 2. Macrophages engulf bacteria 3. DC’s travel to T cell area and activate T cells 4. Effector T cells leave the LN and travel to site of infection through the lymph and blood 5. B cells differentiate into plasma cells and secrete pathogen specific antibodies 6. Antibodies also travel to the site of the infection and to the blood. 7. Some plasma cells will also leave by the efferent lymphatic vessel and travel to the site of infection to continue secreting antibodies.
99
What is responsible for filtering blood?
Spleen
100
What is the function of the spleen in regards to pathogens?
1. responds to blood borne pathogens to prevent systemic infection 2. Microbes in the blood are phagocytized by macrophages and DC's 3. APC's stimulate B and T cells located in white pulp
101
What enters and leaves the spleen though blood?
All cells and pathogens
102
What are the gut-associated lymphoid tissues (GALT)?
1. Tonsils 2. Adenoids 3. Appendix 4. Peyer's patches
103
What are the bronchial-associated lymphoid tissues (BALT)?
Secondary lymphoid tissues associated with respiratory epithelium
104
What are the mucosal associated lymphoid tissues (MALT)?
Similar to lymph nodes as they trap pathogens and allow lymphocytes to interact with pathogens and become activated
105
What is the disadvantage of mucosal surfaces of the gut and lungs?
Increased vulnerability to infection
106
Where is high concentration of secondary lymphoid tissue found?
Gut

Immunology (17 decks)

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