Chapter 51: The Immune System in Animals

I. Innate Immunity
Ready to go since birth
Barriers to Entry
Armored insects, soft bodied organisms have a protective
mucus layer, human skin
How Are Openings in the Body Protected?
Mucus protects the surface openings
Pathogens that come in contact with mucus are
either coughed out or swallowed and killed
Ears are protected by waxy secretions
Eyes by tears that have enzyme lysozyme: antibiotic
digesting bacterial walls
How Do Pathogens Gain Entry?
Gain entry to tissues beneath the skin Flu virus
disrupts mucous lining of respiratory tract
Falls wounds and physical trauma
The Innate Immune System
First response to pathogens- white blood cells (leukocytes):
immediate generic response
How Are Pathogens Recognized by the Innate Immune
System?
Antigen: any foreign molecule that initiates an
immune system response
Pattern-recognition receptors: signals the presence
of molecules associated with pathogens
11 TLRS identified in humans
Pattern Recognition Receptors Transduce Signals Pattern
Recognition receptors signal that invader is present,
trigger signal cascade within cell have different
consequences depending on which TLRs were
activated
In healthy flies; toll proteins that detect fungal
infection, a signal cascade activates secretion of
antimicrobial peptides
TLR4 in humans activated by LPS, signal cascade
secretes cytokins; attracting other immune cells to
site
TLR7 in humans detects single stranded RNA virus
Once the general signal of an invasion is received by
TLRs first response is sent and then further action
occurs with signal cascade
The Inflammatory Response in Humans: multistep innate
immune response observed in many animals
1. Break in skin allows bacteria to enter
2. Platelets release proteins to form clots
3. Wounded tissues & leukocytes called macrophases
secrete chemokines that signal other cells to site of
infection
4. Mast cells release histamine that constrict blood vessels
at the site of wound reducing blood loss; signal cells
away from wound to dilate and become more
permeable
5. Dilated blood vessels + chemokine gradient is a 911;
neutrophils move out of dilated blood vessels and go to
infection site
Neutrophils invade cells by phagocytosis
6. Macrophages produce cyockines that stimulate bone
marrow to make and release leukocytes, induce fever and
activate cells for tissue repair and wound healing
II. Adaptive Immunity: Recognition
Leukocytes involved in customizing their own response to
particular invader
Antibodies: secreted proteins that bind to a specific part of specific
antigen
Four key characteristics of adaptive immune response
Specificity: antibodies only bind to specific sites on specific
antigens
Diversity: Recognizes almost limitless array of antigens
Memory: adaptive immune response can be reactivated
quickly if it recognizes antigens from previous infection
Self-nonself recognition: Molecules that are produced by
the individual do not act as antigens, can detect own cells
from invaders
Introduction to Lymphocytes
Lymphocytes: Leukocytes that carry out major feature of
adaptive immune response
The Discovery of B Cells and T Cells
B Cells: Produce antibodies and mature in bone
marrow
T Cells: involved in graft rejection along with an
array of other immune functions; recognizing and
killing host cells infected with virus; mature in the
thymus
Where Are Lymphocytes Found?
Bone Marrow: tissues that fills internal cavities of
bones; all lymphocytes produced here
Lymphocyte maturation: B cells in bone marrow and
T cells in thymus
Lymphocyte activation: Spleen: destroying old blood
cells; lymph nodes filter the lymph
Lymphocyte transport: Circulate through blood and
secondary organs of immune system
Large amounts of lymphocytes are found on the skin
and epithelial tissues
Mucosal associated lymphoid tissue (MALT):
immune system cells found in the gut and
respiratory organs
Lymphocytes Recognize a Diverse Array of Antigens
Discovery of B Cell Receptors
B- Cell receptor has same overall structure as
antibodies produced by B cells
Has 2 distinct polypeptide regions: smaller is the
light chain and the bigger one is the heavy chain 2
copies of each in each BCR
Heavy chain has a transmembrane domain and
anchors the protein in the plasma membrane of B
cell
Immunoglobulins: BCR and its antibodies; crucial to
adaptive immune response
The Discovery of T-Cell Receptors
T cells require other cells to bind antigens; they
need other cells to process antigen and present
them to the TCRs- antigen presentation
B cells bind to antigens directly and T cells only bind
to antigens that are displayed by other cells
The TCR has 2 protein chains, alpha and beta; shape
is similar to BCR
Antibodies and Receptors Bind to Epitopes
Epitope: the part of the antigen where BCRs and
TCRs and antibodies bind to
What is the Molecular Basis of Antibody Specificity and
Diversity?