Immunology in 50 minutes.

Wow!!!!
Memory No Yes
 Cells of Innate Immunity Are
Professional Phagocytes
• Macrophages, neutrophils and Dendritic Cells have
surface receptors that recognize microbial products
and mediators produced in response to infection.
• Engagement of these receptors activates them:
– Secrete molecules that communicate/activate other players
of immunity
– Migrate to the site of infection
– Bind and phagocytose microbes
– This is the process of inflammation.
 Functions of Innate Response
• Initial response. Prevents, controls and clears
infections.
– Surveillance
– Initial Control
– Containment
• Warns and stimulates components of the
adaptive immune system.
– Responds differently to different pathogens, hence
directs the adaptive response to specific
pathways.
 Immunology 101
Innate receptors: General features of classes of
pathogens. Germline encoded ~1000 specificities

Some viral
glycoproteins

NF-kB transcription factor activated immune cells

Toll-Like Receptors Receptors
Innate Immunity Does Not Clear All
Infections
Immune evasion Limited receptor number
• Some pathogens can • Innate receptors
resist phagocytosis recognize ONLY general
and/or digestion features of clases of
• Pathogens mutate pathogens, not structures
unique to individual
pathogens
 Cells of Adaptive Immunity
• B Cells
– Secrete antibodies
• T Cells
– CD4+ or Helper
• Secrete cytokines that HELP B cells and CTLs
– CD8+ or CTL
• Kill virally infected cells

Adaptive Immunity receptors recognize a HUGE

number of specificities
Adaptive cells
reside here
Helper T cells HELP B cells and
CTLs
Function of CTLs and B Cells
 Immune Receptors
• Innate immunity relies on small repertoire
(<103) that can be quickly deployed
– For general structures of pathogen families
• Adaptive immunity relies on a large (>107)
repertoire of clonal receptors on lymphocytes
which need time to be fully deployed
– For specific structures of individual pathogens
TCR and BCR
Antigen Recognition by B and
T Cell Receptors
Recognizes free
antigen

Recognizes
antigen
presented by
MHC
Antigens and Epitopes
~ 6 amino acids
One Antigen, Many Epitopes
 Receptor Diversity
• Approximately 100 million different antibody
specificities.
• Approximately 10,000 million lymphocytes
(about ¼ B cells in the adult)
• Able to recognize ANY molecular shape
 Generating Diversity
• Approximately 100 million different
antibodies.
• 10,000 light and 10,000 heavy
• 25,000 genes!!!!
TCR and BCR
Structure of the Ig Genes
(simplified)
 In Summary

Junctional
diversity:
of
nucleotides
 Immunological Tolerance
• Because VDJ recombination is a
random process, it will produce
receptors that recognize SELF antigens
• Before B and T cells are released in the
blood they are tested for self-reactivity
• Self reactive B and T cells are deleted
Each B Cell Has a Unique Receptor
VDJ Recombination

Note the difference with

phagocytes. All phagocytes
are equally useful, they are
all the same!
Only a few B cells will be useful
every infection!
Clonal Expansion

Takes
time

You expand only the

population that
helps clear the
specific infection
And so on….. found in your
environment
Adaptive Immunity Is Polyclonal
Not All Antibodies Are Neutralizing
 Immunological Memory

Takes
time

You expand only the

Differentiatio population that
n helps clear the
specific infection
found in your
environment
Immunological Memory and
Specificity
Evolutionary Value of Memory
 Vaccines
• Vaccines work by stimulating the
development of immunological memory
without causing disease
• Pathigens can be manipulated in
several different ways
Vaccines Save Lives
Herd Immunity
 Types of Vaccines
• Passive immunization (non-infectious)
• Live, attenuated
• Inactivated (non-infectious)
• Subunit vaccines (non-infectious)
 “Killed” vaccines
• Chemicals, heat, or radiation: The dead
microbes can’t mutate back to their disease-
causing state.
• Saferand more stable, but….
• Stimulate a weaker immune system response
than do live vaccines. Several additional doses,
or booster shots, to maintain a person’s
immunity.
• Because they are not infectious, more bacteria,
typhoid, whooping cough. Viruses flu, rabies.
 Live, attenuated vaccines
• Inject subject with a live pathogen which
has been previously rendered non-
pathogenic
Gardasil (HPV) Is a Subunit Vaccine