Specific Defense

 

 

 

IMMUNITY

l   Innate immunity

l  Nonspecific

 

l   Adaptive Immunity

l  Specific

 

 

 

  

 

 

Humoral Immunity

l   Antibody-mediated

 

l   Found in blood, lymphatic system, and mucus

 

l   Antibodies produced by B cells

 

l   Defense against bacteria, viruses, and toxins, and transplanted (foreign) tissues.

 

 

Cell-Mediated Immunity

l    T cells that act against foreign tissue or organisms

 

l   Regulate macrophage release

 

l   Defense against bacteria and viruses inside of phagocytes and fungi, protozoa and transplanted tissue

 

 

 

 

ANTIGENS

l  A substance that causes the body to produce specific antibodies or sensitized T cells

l  “Self” versus “non-self”

l  Protein or polysaccharide (lipids and nucleic acids when combined with proteins or polysaccharides)

l  Found in capsule, cell walls, flagella, fimbrae, and toxins of microbes

l  Pollen, egg white, blood cell surface, tissue surface

l  Antigenic determinants (epitopes)

l  Specificity

l  Each bacterial cell has many different epitopes

 

 

 

 

 

 

HAPTEN

l  Haptens require carriers at first

l  Example - Penicillin

 

 

 

ANTIBODIES

l   Globular proteins (immunoglobulins) made by B cells in response to an antigen

l   Highly specific

l   Neutralize and destroy

l   Antigen-binding sites

l  Valence: number of sites

l   Bivalent antibody (monomer) structure

l  Monomers have 2 antigenic binding sites

 

 

 

 

Antibody Structure

l    2 Heavy and  2 Light Chains

l    Joined by disulfide links

l    Variable regions

l    Constant regions

l    Fc region (stem)

 

 

 

Immunoglobulin Classes

l    IgG (80%):  Monomer found in blood, lymph and intestine

l   Most abundant antibody found in blood

l   23 day ½-life, can fix complement, can cross placenta

l   Enhances phagocytosis, neutralizes toxins and viruses, and protects fetus (or newborn)

l    IgD (0.2%):  Monomer found on B-cell surface, blood and lymph

l   3 day ½- life

l   Serum function unknown; initiation of B-cell response

l    IgE (0.002%):  monomer found bound to mast and basophil cells, and in blood

l   2 day ½-life

l   Allergic reactions; lysis of parasitic worms, and attracts IgG, complement and phagocytic cells

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Immunoglobin Classes

l   IgM (5-10%):  pentamer found in blood, lymph, and B-cell surface

l  5 day ½-life, fix complement, stay in blood, and very large

l  First antibodies produced at initial infection

l  Response to ABO blood group antigens

l  Enhance phagocytosis

l  Important in diagnosis

l  Short lived and at initial infection

 

 

 

Immunoglobin Classes

l   IgA (10-15%):  Dimer with secretory component found in secretions

l  A monomer when in blood serum

l  Not very abundant in blood, but very abundant in secretions

l  6 day ½ life, complement fixation (alternative pathway)

l  Defense against respiratory infections and infant GI infection

 

 

 

 

Humoral Immunity

l   B cells develop from stem cells

l  Red bone marrow (adults)

l  Liver (fetus)

l   Travel to lymph tissue and lymph

l   Are not activated until recognition of specific antigen (clonal selection)

 

 

 

Clonal Selection

l    B cell surface receptor recognizes antigen

 

l    Proliferation :  same immunological specificity

l   Memory cells:  long-term immunity

l   Plasma cells:  secrete antibodies (2000/sec)

 

l    Why we don’t attack our own cells

l   Self tolerance

l   Clonal deletion in embryo (thymus)

l   Dangerous versus Nondangerous (recognition of inflammation response)

 

 

 

Antibody Activities

 

 

l      Enhancing phagocytosis

 

l      Agglutination:

l      IgG and IgM

l      Aggregation of antigens for more efficient phagocytosis

 

l      Opsonization:

l      Stimulation of phagocytosis

 

 

Antibody Activities

 

l      Antibody dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity

l      Antibodies coat infecting cell (large parasite usually)—FC facing out

l      NK (lysing ability), Macrophage, neutrophils, and eosinophils have receptors for FC region of antibody

l      Secretion of lytic enzymes to destroy parasite

 

 

 

 

Antibody Activities

 

l      Neutralization:

l      IgG antibodies

l      Block attachment

l      Block active sites (or binding sites) of toxins

l      Activation of complement for lysis, inflammation, opsonization

 

 

 

 

Complement System

l    Nonspecific response often stimulated by a specific response

l    Causes lysis, inflammation, and phagocytosis

l    Can occur by 2 pathways:

l   Antigen-antibody reaction (classical)

l   Proteins B, D, P and a pathogen (alternative)

l    Serum proteins activated in a cascade

l    Components

l   Classical:  C1 through C9 proteins

l   Alternative:  Factor B, D and P

 

 

 

Complement System

l   Classical Pathway

 

 

 

 

 

Complement System

l   Alternative Pathway

 

 

 

 

 

 

Complement Activation

l    Inflammation

l   C3a and C5a bind to mast cells, basophils and platelets and triggers histamine release

l   Increases permeability of blood vessel and increases emigration

l   C5a can also be a strong chemotactic factor

 

 

 

 

MEMORY

l   Antibody titer

l   Primary response:  after 1st exposure

l  Antigenàslow rise in antibody titeràdecline in antibody titer

l   Secondary (memory) response:  after 2nd exposure

l  Memory cells change to plasma cells for an intense response

l  Years or decades later

l  This time IgG peaks first and most

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Acquired Immunity

l    Immunity you develop to a specific antigen

l    Active vs. Passive immunity

l    Naturally acquired immunity

l   Active

l   Passive

l  Transplacental or via colostrum

l    Artificially acquired immunity

l   Active

l  Vaccination

l   Passive

 

 

 

 

CYTOKINES

l    Especially important to cell mediated response (T cell response)

 

l    Chemical messengers that regulate other immune cell responses (ex. chemotaxis, NK activation, phagocyte activity)

l   Interleukins:  communication between different leukocytes

l  IL-1involved in stimulation of T helper cells

l  IL-2 involved in proliferation of lymphocytes

l   Interferons:  viral infections

l   Chemokines:  chemotaxis of leukocytes

 

 

 

Cell Mediated Immunity

l   Also develop from stem cells, mature in thymus, and migrate to lymphatic system

l   TCRs - antigen receptors (recognition and reaction)

l   Antigen specific

l   Clonal selection:  effector cells are memory cells and plasma cells

 

 

 

Cell Mediated Immunity

l  Three types: 

l  Helper (TH, CD4)

l  Cytotoxic (TC, CD8)

l  Regulatory (TR)

l  Suppress other T cells

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

T Cells

l    Helper T cells

l   A macrophage (antigen presenting cell) contacts an antigen, ingests and processes it, and displays antigen on surface with self molecule to make MHC

l   TH cell receptor (TCRs) binds to MHC II and stimulates APC to produce IL-1 cytokine

l   IL-1 activates TH cell to make IL-2, which stimulates maturation (TH clone)

l   Mature TH cell makes other cytokines which stimulates other TH cells, Tc cells and B cells

 

 

 

 

T Cells

l    Cytotoxic T cells

l   Destroy target cell on contact

l   Useful for destroying intracellular parasites that cannot be attacked by antibodies

l   TC cell binds to MHC I of infected cell and secretes perforin which lyses infected cell

 

 

 

 

 

Nonspecific Cellular Components

l   Part of cell mediated immunity

l   Less specific than T cells

l   Activated macrophage

l  Activated by antigen and by TH cells

l   Natural killer cells

l  Contact cell to lyse

 

 

 

Cell Mediated and Humoral Immunity Relationships

l   T-dependent antigen

l  Sometimes B cells need help from TH cells to make antibody to an antigens

 

l   Antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC)

 

 

 

 

SUMMARY