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General Features of Immune System

The document summarizes key aspects of the immune system, including innate and adaptive immunity. It describes the major components of innate immunity like epithelial barriers, phagocytic cells, dendritic cells, natural killer cells, and plasma proteins. It also discusses pattern recognition receptors like toll-like receptors and intracellular receptors. Adaptive immunity is mediated by lymphocytes and antibodies. T lymphocytes include helper, cytotoxic, and regulatory subsets, while B lymphocytes produce antibodies. Dendritic cells act as antigen presenting cells.

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Kiruba Haran
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52 views

General Features of Immune System

The document summarizes key aspects of the immune system, including innate and adaptive immunity. It describes the major components of innate immunity like epithelial barriers, phagocytic cells, dendritic cells, natural killer cells, and plasma proteins. It also discusses pattern recognition receptors like toll-like receptors and intracellular receptors. Adaptive immunity is mediated by lymphocytes and antibodies. T lymphocytes include helper, cytotoxic, and regulatory subsets, while B lymphocytes produce antibodies. Dendritic cells act as antigen presenting cells.

Uploaded by

Kiruba Haran
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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GENERAL FEATURES OF

IMMUNE SYSTEM
Dr.SRUTHI RAVI M.D
THE NORMAL IMMUNE RESPONSE
IMMUNITY is protection from infectious pathogens

• The mechanisms of defense against microbes fall into two broad


categories:

1. Innate immunity (also called natural, or native, immunity)

• 2.ADAPTIVE IMMUNITY (ALSO CALLED ACQUIRED, OR SPECIFIC


IMMUNITY)
THE NORMAL IMMUNE RESPONSE
1.Innate immunity (also called natural, or native, immunity)

• It refers to the mechanisms that are ready to react to infections


even before they occur.

• and has specific mechanisms for recognition and kill microbes.


2.ADAPTIVE IMMUNITY (ALSO CALLED ACQUIRED, OR SPECIFIC IMMUNITY)

• Activated only after exposure to microbes

• Consists of mechanisms that are stimulated by (“adapt to”) microbes.

• and are capable of recognizing microbial and non-microbial substances.


INNATE IMMUNITY
First line of defense against microbes and to eliminate damaged cells.

FUNCTIONS OF INNATE IMMUNITY


Innate immunity functions in stages:

1. recognition of microbes and damaged cells


2. activation of various mechanisms
3. elimination of the unwanted substances.
COMPONENTS OF INNATE IMMUNITY
The major components of innate immunity are:
1. epithelial barriers that block entry of microbes

2. phagocytic cells (mainly neutrophils and macrophages)

3. dendritic cells

4.natural killer (NK) cells

5. plasma proteins  e.g proteins of the complement system.


1.EPITHELIAL BARRIERS
1. Epithelia of the
• skin , GIT ,Respiratory tracts  act as mechanical barriers to the entry
of microbes from the external environment.

2.produce antimicrobial molecules such as defensins,


& lymphocytes located in the epithelia combat microbes at these sites.
2. phagocytic cells
• Monocytes and neutrophils are phagocytes in the blood
• rapidly recruits to any site of infection
• monocytes  enter the tissues & mature are called macrophages.

FUNCTION
• sense the presence of microbes & offending agents
• ingest (phagocytose) & destroys them
3.dendritic cells
• specialized cells seen in  epithelia, lymphoid organs & most tissues.

FUCNTION
1. ANTIGEN PRESENTATION capture protein antigens & display peptides for
recognition by T lymphocytes.

2. sense microbes & cell damage through receptors

3. stimulate the secretion of cytokines, mediators of inflammation & anti-viral


defense.
4.natural killer (NK) cells

• Natural killer cells provide early protection against many


viruses and intracellular bacteria

OTHER CELLS IN IMMUNITY :


1. Mast cells
2. Innate lymphoid cells
5. PLASMA PROTEINS
• several soluble proteins play important roles in innate immunity.

1.PROTEINS OF THE COMPLEMENT SYSTEM

• 2.MANNOSE-BINDING LECTIN AND C-REACTIVE PROTEIN

3. LUNG SURFACTANT
Cellular Receptors for recognition of Microbes,
Products of Damaged Cells,
and Foreign Substances
PATTERN RECOGNITION RECEPTORS
• These are located in all the cellular compartments where microbes
may be present:

1. plasma membrane receptors detect extracellular microbes

2. endosomal receptors detect ingested microbes

3. Cytosolic receptors detect microbes in the cytoplasm


Toll-Like Receptors
• The best receptor  Toll, was discovered in Drosophila.

• 10 TLRs types in mammals

• each recognizes a different set of microbial molecules.

• TLRs  present in the plasma membrane and endosomal vesicles


NOD-Like Receptors and the Inflammasome.
• cytosolic receptor

• recognize a wide variety of substances, including


q products of necrotic cells (e.g., uric acid and released ATP)
qion disturbances (e.g., loss of K+)
qsome microbial products.
Other receptors for microbial products
1. C-type lectin receptors (CLRs)
• plasma membrane receptors of macrophages and dendritic cells
• detect fungal glycans and elicit inflammatory reactions to fungi.

2. RIG-like receptors (RLRs)


• located in the cytosol
• detect nucleic acids of viruses that replicate in the cytoplasm of
infected cells
Other receptors for microbial products
3.G protein–coupled receptors
• Seen in neutrophils, macrophages
• recognize short bacterial peptides containing N-formylmethionyl residues.

4. Mannose receptors
• Recognize microbial sugars and induce phagocytosis of the microbes.
OUTCOME REACTIONS OF INNATE IMMUNITY
1. INFLAMMATION
2. ANTIVIRAL DEFENSE
3. CO- ACTIVATION OF ADAPTIVE IMMUNITY

Disadvantage :
• does not have memory
• Does not have fine antigen specificity
ADAPTIVE IMMUNITY
• The adaptive immune system consists of lymphocytes and their
products, including antibodies.

• There are two types of adaptive immunity:


1. Humoral immunity  which protects against extracellular microbes
and their toxins  mediated by B Lymphocytes.

2. cell-mediated (or cellular) immunity which is responsible for


defense against intracellular microbes  mediated by T
lymphocytes.
CELLS OF THE IMMUNE SYSTEM
NAÏVE T CELLS - IMMUNOLOGICALLY INEXPERIENCED
not encountered the antigen .

EFFECTOR CELLS - they are activated by recognition of antigen.


• lymphocytes differentiate into effector cells
• It performs the function of eliminating microbes,

MEMORY CELLS - live in a state of heightened awareness and are able to react
rapidly and strongly to combat the microbe when it returns
T Lymphocytes
• 3 major population:

1.helper T lymphocytes – CD4 T cells


• Stimulates B lymphocytes to make antibodies and activate other
leucocytes

• 2.cytotoxic T lymphocytes – CD8 T cells


• kills virus infected or tumor cells

• 3. regulatory T cells – limits the immune response and prevent reaction


against self antigens.
Maturation & structure
• T lymphocytes precursors  origin in hematopoietic tissue in bone
marrow.
• Maturation occurs in – THYMUS
• Mature T cells found in the blood (60% to 70% )

• Remaining  T-cell zones of peripheral lymphoid organs (lymph node&


spleen)
• Each T cell has  antigen-specific TCR.
B Lymphocytes
• B lymphocytes are the only cells in the body capable of producing
antibody molecules, the mediators of humoral immunity.

• Precursor production & maturation both occurs in bone marrow.

• 10 – 20%  reside in circulating blood


• Others in peripheral lymphoid tissue lymphnode, spleen, MALT
STRUCTURE & FUNCTION
• B cells recognize antigen via the B-cell antigen receptor complex.

• Membrane-bound antibodies of the IgM and IgD isotypes, present on the surface of all
mature, naive B cells.
• These 2 are the antigen-binding component of the B-cell receptor complex.
Steps of antibody production
• Mature B cells  stimulation by antigens  develops into plasma cells

• A single plasma cells can secrete  100 to 1000 of antibody molecules /sec
Dendritic Cells/ antigen-presenting cells
• Also called interdigitating dendritic cells
• most important antigen-presenting cells for initiating T-cell responses
against protein antigens.

• cells have numerous fine cytoplasmic processes that resemble dendrites.


Natural killer cells
• function  destroy virus-infected cells and tumor cells without
prior activation.

• 5% to 10% of peripheral blood lymphocytes.

• They do not express TCRs or Ig.


THANK YOU

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