Innate Immunity
Katelyn Starego
What is Immunity?
Immunity is the ability of an organism to resist infection.
When talking about immunity, we see that cells have something called physical
barriers. Physical barriers are structures that prevent microbial infection entry.
Proteins that play a role in the immune system and inflammatory responses:
● Chemokines: these are signaling proteins that attract immune cells
● Cytokines: these are proteins that mediate immune responses
White Blood Cells also known as WBCs
White blood cells (WBCs) are cells that ingest and degrade pathogens.
The Lymph system circulates WBCs to defend against pathogens.
Types of WBCs:
Lymphoid Cells!
Lymphoid cells include:
● Natural Killer (NK) Cells: these cells detect healthy versus unhealthy or infected
cells
● B Cells: produce antibodies that attack bacteria, viruses, and toxins
● T Cells: help kill tumor cells and control immune responses
What is the Lymph System?
The Lymph system is a part of the immune system that helps maintain fluid balance and defend the body
against infections.
Components of the Lymphatic System:
● Lymph: a clear fluid that contains WBCs, proteins and waste products. It collects excess fluid from
tissues and carries it back to the bloodstream.
● Lymphatic Vessels: vessels that transport lymph, act similarly to veins.
● Lymph Nodes: located along the lymphatic vessels, house immune cells that activate when threats are
detected
● Primary Organs:
○ Bone marrow: produces lymphocytes which is a type of white blood cell
○ Thymus: matures T cells, a type of lymphocyte important for adaptive immunity
● Secondary Organs:
○ Spleen: filters blood, removes old RBCs, helps fight infections
○ Tonsils and Adenoids: protect against pathogens entering through mouth or nose
○ Peyer’s Patches: lymphoid tissue in intestines that monitors gut pathogens
How does the Lymph System work?
Fluid Balance → Lymph Transport → Immune Defense → Fat Absorption → Waste Removal
● Fluid Balance
○ Blood vessels leak plasma into tissues to provide nutrients and oxygen, this fluid is absorbed by
lymphatic vessels preventing tissue swelling
● Lymph Transport
○ Collect fluid and transport it through lymph nodes for filtration, returns to bloodstream via large veins
near the heart
● Immune Defense
○ Lymph nodes filter pathogens and house B cells and T cells, which detect and attack invaders
■ B cells produce antibodies while T cells destroy infected or abnormal cells
● Fat Absorption
○ Specialized lymphatic vessels called lacteals absorb dietary fats and transport them to the
bloodstream
● Waste Removal
○ Removes cellular debris, toxins, and waste products from tissues
Myeloid Cells
Myeloid cells are a group of cells that originate in the bone marrow and mature into
various types of blood cells.
The various types of blood cells:
● Macrophages: these are the 1st cells to encounter pathogens
● Dendritic: these cells are efficient antigen presenting cells
● Granulocytes: these are cells that contain enzymes to kill pathogens
MAMPs and TLRs
Microbial Associate Molecular Patterns (MAMPs): structural subunits specific to microbes
What they are and how they work: MAMPs are molecules or parts of molecules that are
unique to specific microbes. They work by the TLRs binding to MAMPs to initiate innate
immune response that promotes adaptive immunity.
Toll Like Receptors (TLRs): bind specific MAMPs to trigger immune responses
What they are and how they work: TLRs are pattern recognition receptors that are
transmembrane proteins. TLRs work by expressing themselves on the outer cell
membrane.
● Transmembrane proteins are proteins that span the entire cell membrane, allowing it
to interact with molecules both on the inside and outside of the cell
Phagocytosis
Phagocytosis is a process where phagocytes, engulf and digest microbes. It is the key defense mechanism
of the Innate Immune System. A phagosome is a vesicle that contains engulfed material.
● Phagocytic Cells:
○ Macrophages: found in tissues; engulf pathogens and dead cells
○ Neutrophils: Most abundant white blood cells; first responders to infections
○ Dendritic Cells: antigen presenting cells that bridge innate and adaptive immunity
Steps in Phagocytosis:
1. Recognition and Attachment: recognize by using TLRs, opsonization attaches
2. Engulfment: extends membrane around pathogen, forming a phagosome
3. Digestion: phagosome fuses with a lysosome to form a phagolysosome which contains digestive
enzymes and toxic chemicals to destroy pathogen
4. Exocytosis: debris from the digested material is expelled or presented as antigens to activate the
adaptive immune system
Leukocidins
Leukocidins are toxins produced to evade the immune system and kill host cells.
These toxins specifically target and destroy leukocytes (WBCs), including
phagocytes like neutrophils and macrophages.
How it works:
● Membrane Disruption
○ Leukocidins create pores in the cell membranes of leukocytes, leading to cell lysis and death
● Inhibition of Phagocytosis
○ By killing the phagocytes, leukocidins prevent bacteria from being engulfed and destroyed
Inflammation
● Inflammation is a protective response triggered by infection, injury, or irritation. The purpose of inflammation is to isolate and
eliminate the cause of damage, clear out damaged tissue, and initiate repair.
● Key components of inflammation:
○ Pro Inflammatory Cytokines
■ These signaling molecules recruit immune cells and promote inflammation
■ They help increase blood flow, activate immune cells, and induce fever to fight off pathogens
○ Vascular Permeability
■ Pro inflammatory cytokines and histamine cause blood vessels to dilate and become more permeable, which leads to certain effects:
● Fluid leaks into tissues, causing swelling (edema)
● Increased blood flow leading to redness (erythema)
● Immune cells like neutrophils move through the vessels walls to the infection site
● Pathological Inflammation
○ Septic Shock
■ Caused by systemic overactivation of pro inflammatory cytokines during severe infections, leading to these symptoms
● Widespread blood vessel dilation
● Severe drop in blood pressure
● Organ failure due to impaired blood flow
● Erythema
● Antiviral Responses
○ Interferons (IFNs)
■ Cytokines produced by virus infected cells to signal neighboring cells, this leads to these effects;
● Activates antiviral genes
● Enhance immune cell activity (NK cells, cytotoxic T cells)
● Slow viral replication
