Podcast
Questions and Answers
What is the term for the unresponsiveness of the immune system to an individual's own antigens?
What is the term for the unresponsiveness of the immune system to an individual's own antigens?
What is the result when tolerance to self-antigens is lost?
What is the result when tolerance to self-antigens is lost?
Why can't the immune system simply conceal self-antigens to maintain tolerance?
Why can't the immune system simply conceal self-antigens to maintain tolerance?
What is the primary mechanism responsible for the immune system's ability to discriminate between self and non-self antigens?
What is the primary mechanism responsible for the immune system's ability to discriminate between self and non-self antigens?
Signup and view all the answers
What is a consequence of the immune system's ability to recognize self-antigens during lymphocyte maturation?
What is a consequence of the immune system's ability to recognize self-antigens during lymphocyte maturation?
Signup and view all the answers
What is an example of an autoimmune disease mentioned in the passage?
What is an example of an autoimmune disease mentioned in the passage?
Signup and view all the answers
What is the primary mechanism of eliminating self-reactive B cells during their development in the bone marrow?
What is the primary mechanism of eliminating self-reactive B cells during their development in the bone marrow?
Signup and view all the answers
Which of the following self-antigens are not present in the generative lymphoid organs and require peripheral tolerance mechanisms?
Which of the following self-antigens are not present in the generative lymphoid organs and require peripheral tolerance mechanisms?
Signup and view all the answers
What is the consequence of T cells binding to peptide-MHC complex during their development in the thymus?
What is the consequence of T cells binding to peptide-MHC complex during their development in the thymus?
Signup and view all the answers
What is the primary function of central tolerance in the development of lymphocytes?
What is the primary function of central tolerance in the development of lymphocytes?
Signup and view all the answers
Which of the following is a limitation of central tolerance?
Which of the following is a limitation of central tolerance?
Signup and view all the answers
What is the purpose of peripheral tolerance mechanisms?
What is the purpose of peripheral tolerance mechanisms?
Signup and view all the answers
Study Notes
Immunological Tolerance
- Immunological tolerance is the ability of the immune system to not react against the individual's own (self) antigens.
- Loss of tolerance to self-antigens leads to autoimmune diseases, such as lupus erythematosus and some forms of diabetes.
Mechanisms of Immunological Tolerance
- Central tolerance: a mechanism that prevents immune responses to self-antigens present in the generative (central) lymphoid organs (bone marrow and thymus).
- Peripheral tolerance: a mechanism that prevents immune responses to self-antigens present in peripheral (secondary) lymphoid organs or peripheral tissues.
Central Tolerance
- Occurs during the early differentiation of B cells in the bone marrow and T cells in the thymus.
- B cells that bind self-epitopes undergo apoptotic death (negative selection) in the bone marrow.
- T cells that bind peptide-MHC complex undergo apoptotic death in the thymus.
- This process removes many potentially autoreactive B and T cells before they enter the circulation.
Peripheral Tolerance
- Additional mechanisms that control or eliminate autoreactive B and T cells after they exit the bone marrow or thymus.
- Necessary to prevent autoreactive cells from inflicting damage on the body, especially for self-epitopes that arise after lymphogenesis (e.g., during puberty).
Studying That Suits You
Use AI to generate personalized quizzes and flashcards to suit your learning preferences.
Description
Learn about the immune system's ability to distinguish between self and non-self antigens, and how a loss of tolerance can lead to autoimmune diseases like lupus and diabetes.
