and Immunity
Defense Systems
1.Innate
(nonspecific)
defenses
External body
membranes
Inflammation
Antimicrobial
proteins,
phagocytes and
other cells
2.Adaptive
(specific)
defenses
T cells and B cells
Surface Barriers
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Lysozyme
in perspiration, tears, saliva, nasal secretions, other tissue
fluids
enzyme breaks down bacterial cell walls
Hyaluronic acid
gel-like matrix in most connective tissues
slows the spread of many infectious agents
Mechanism of Phagocytosis
Chemotaxis
Adherence recognition
of external
carbohydrates and
proteins
Aided by opsonins
Ingestion
Killing and digestion
Redness
Heat
Swelling
Pain
Loss of Function
Function:
1. Prevent spread of
damage
2. Dispose of
pathogens and
debris
3. Set stage for tissue
repair
Inflammation: Stage 1
Edema increased plasma filtrate seeps
into tissue spaces bringing some immune
proteins
Helps to dilute harmful substances
Increases supply of oxygen and nutrients
needed for metabolism, inflammation and
repair
Allows entry of clotting proteins, which
reduces the spread of mibrobes
Inflammation
Stage 2. Phagocyte
moblization
1. Leukocytosis-inducing
factors: increase
neutrophil production
2. Margination
(pavementing)
3. Diapedesis (amoeboid
movement)
4. Chemotaxis of WBCs
neutrophils rapid arrival
monocytes slower
arrival
Inflammation
Stage 3. Tissue
repair
Tissue regrowth and
repair of damage or
scar formation
Pus
dead phagocytes and
other WBCs,
damaged tissue, and
perhaps microbes
if too numerous for
effective removal by
phagocytes, an
abscess may develop
Effects of Inflammation
Increased blood
flow results in
increased local
temperature and
local cellular
metabolism
Increased
capillary
permeability and
phagocytic
migration to the
injured tissue
Interferons
(IFNs)
Complement Pathways
Classical Pathway is triggered by the
specific immune system
Requires binding of antibodies to antigens of
invading organisms
Complement C1 then binds to the antigenantibody complexes (complement fixation)
Complement
Pathways
Both pathways
converge on C3, which
cleaves into C3a and
C3b
C3b initiates formation
of a membrane attack
complex (MAC)
MAC causes cell lysis by
creating many hundreds
of microscopic holes in
the cells plasmalemma
C3b is also an opsonin
Phagocytes
Natural Killer cells (NK lymphocytes)
Inflammation
Antimicrobial proteins
Fever
Adaptive Defense
The adaptive immune system:
Acts to immobilize, neutralize, or destroy
foreign substances and cells
Amplifies the inflammatory response and
activates complement
Is antigen-specific*, systemic, and has memory
*Recognizes specific foreign molecules
Adaptive Defense
Definitions:
Immunity: the ability of the body to defend
itself against specific foreign invaders
(molecules or cells)
Immunogenicity: the ability to stimulate
proliferation of specific lymphocytes and
specific antibody production
Reactivity: the ability of activated
lymphocytes and their products, antibodies,
etc., to interact with specific antigens
Adaptive Defense
Definitions:
Specificity: the antigen triggers focused
immune defenses (from particular
lymphocytes lineages) that respond only to
the antigens of this foreign substance/cell
Memory: the immune system produces clones
of specific memory lymphocytes (T & B) which
react rapidly when the particular foreign
substance/cell is encountered again
Specificity and memory differentiate this
system from the nonspecific (innate) defenses
Adaptive Defense
Antigen any substance
which provokes specific
immune responses
Antigenic
determinants
Parts of antigens that
trigger the specific immune
response
An antigen may be an
entire microorganism or
only small structures or
subregions of large
molecules
Immunological Memory
Immunization is
possible because
memory B cells
and memory T
cells persist after
the initial Ag
exposure
Antibodies
Are unique soluble proteins secreted by
activated B cells and plasma cells in
response to an antigen
Are capable of binding specifically with
that antigen
Constitute much of the gamma globulin
fraction of plasma proteins
Also called immunoglobulins
Ag
Antibody Structure
Antibodies responding to different antigens
have different V regions but the C region is
the same for all antibodies in a given
antibody class
C regions form the stem of the Y-shaped
antibody monomer and determine:
the class of the antibody
the cells and chemicals to which the antibody
can bind
how an antibody class functions in eliminating
antigens
Classes of Antibodies
IgD: monomer attached to the surface of B cells,
important in B cell activation
IgM: pentamer released by plasma cells during
the primary immune response
IgG: monomer that is the most abundant and
diverse antibody in primary and secondary
responses; crosses the placenta and confers
passive immunity
IgA: dimer that helps prevent attachment of
pathogens to mucosal surfaces
IgE: monomer that binds to mast cells and
basophils, causing histamine release when
activated
Antibody Functions
All antibodies form an antigen-antibody (immune)
complex
Antibodies do not directly destroy antigen, though
they may immobilize or inactivate Ag
Antibodies act as opsonins and tag Ag for immune
attack and destruction
Defensive mechanisms triggered by antibodies
include neutralization, agglutination, precipitation,
opsonization, and complement fixation
1.
Antibody Mechanisms of
Action bind to and block
Neutralization: Antibodies
specific sites on viruses or exotoxins, thus
preventing these antigens from binding to
receptors on tissue cells
Figure 21.13
Summary
of the
Immune
Response
Clinical Classification of
Immunity
The End