Immunology

anergy

Anergy (immunologic tolerance) refers to the failure to mount a full immune response against a target.

Anergy toward self-targets operates as one self-tolerance mechanism to control the autoreactive cells found in autoimmunity. Clonal deletion in which lymphocytes are killed if they recognize a self-antigen during their maturation in the thymus gland or bone marrow is a major mechanism for the prevention of autoimmunity. However, not all human self-antigens are expressed in the central lymphoid organs where the lymphocytes are developing. Thus, self-tolerance to an individual's own antigens must also depend on mechanisms such as clonal anergy. Theoretically, recognition of a self-antigen eliminates the proliferative capacity of autoreactive lymphocytes in the peripheral immune system. Another process, immunoregulation, utilizes regulatory T cells that weaken harmful or inappropriate lymphocyte responses.

In B cell anergy, self-reactive B cells persist in the periphery yet remain unresponsive to immunogen. Research findings indicate that continuous binding of antigen and subsequent receptor signaling are essential for the maintenance of anergy.[n]

T cell anergy is induced when TCR stimulation "freezes" T cell responses until they receive an adequate subsequent antigenic signal from an antigen-presenting cell. Such APC signals can rescue T cells from anergy, stimulating them to produce the lymphokines necessary for the growth of additional T cells.

During a productive immune response, CD4+ T cells respond to effective signals by producing interleukin 2 (IL-2) and by proliferating. Effective signals stimulate require both ligation of TCRs with cognate antigens presented by class II MHC molecules on the surface of APCs and activation of costimulatory receptors, such as CD28, which recognize ligands such as B7 proteins expressed on the surface of APCs.

When T cells receive stimulus only TCR signals in the absence of engagement of costimulatory receptors, they enter a state of anergic unresponsiveness characterized by an inability to produce IL-2 or to proliferate upon re-stimulation. Such anergic T cells show a profound block in Ras/MAPK pathway that prevents activation of the AP-1 family of transcription factors (Fos/Jun).

GRAIL (gene related to anergy in lymphocytes) is GRAIL is an E3 ubiquitin ligase that is necessary for the induction of CD4+ T cell anergy in vivo. It is upregulated in naturally occurring (thymically derived) CD4+ and CD25+ cells [a] and anergized T cells [1]. Both GRAIL and Foxp3 are genotypic marker for CD25+ Treg cells. T cell activation appears to be controlled by Foxp3 through transcriptional regulation of early growth response (Egr) genes Egr-2 and Egr-3, and E3 ubiquitin (Ub) ligase genes Cblb [?], Itch [?] and GRAIL, subsequently affecting degradation of two key signaling proteins, PLCgamma1 and PKC-theta. [a]

It is believed that GRAIL could induce anergy through ubiquitylation of membrane-associated targets required for T-cell activation. It has been demonstrated that two isoforms of otubain-1, in conjunction with the deubiquitylating enzyme USP8, produce opposing effects on the expression and function of GRAIL in the induction of anergy.[2] GRAIL is differentially expressed in naturally occurring and peripherally induced CD25+ Treg cells where the expression of GRAIL has been suggested is linked to their functional "regulatory" activity.

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basophils

Basophils are granulocytes packed with granules that stain basic (purple with H&E). The nucleus is bilobed, and the metachromatic granules contain sulfated glycosaminoglycans as well as vasoactive compounds – histamine and proteoglycans. Lysosomal arylsulfatase is found in granules of developing basophils in bone marrow. Basophil granules are surrounded by a unit membrane and contain particles which are uniform in size across the same granule yet vary in size in different granules within the same cell. Some granules reveal a homogeneous texture and/or "myelin" figures. [s] Though basophils and mast cells share morphological features, the appearance of most basophil granules differs from the ultrastructure of human mast cell granules.

Activated basophils release proinflammatory histamine and proteoglycans from granules, and synthesize then secrete leukotrienes and cytokines (particularly IL-4). Histamine and IL-4, which is associated with production of IgE, are involved in allergic reactions.

Basophils are the least common granulocyte, representing about 0.5% to 1% of circulating leukocytes. A low basophil count combined with a low neutrophil count almost always portends leukemia.

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hematopoiesis

Hematopoiesis is the production of blood cells, a developmental process located in the (red) bone marrow, though some cells mature elsewhere. For example, T lymphocytes are so named because they mature in the thymus, and antigenic stimulation of B lymphocytes to become plasma cells typically takes place in the periphery.

B lymphocyte development : common lymphoid progenitor : common myeloid progenitor : E2A : EBF : early B lineage : erythropoiesis : granulopoiesis : hematopoietic growth factors : lymphopoiesis : monocytopoiesis : Pax-5 : pluripotential stem cell : precursors : progenitors : regulatory transcription factors : stages : stem cells : thrombopoiesis : transcriptional regulatory proteins

The process of haematopoiesis occurs in several stages, and is controlled by at least 11 hematopoietic growth factors (including the colony-stimulating factors, IL-2 through IL-7, G-CSF, GM-CSF, and M-CSF). The first stage involves the differentiation of a pluripotential stem cell into a committed progenitor, which is followed by maturation of committed progenitors in distinct pathways, in which precursors are partially developed, 'adolescent' cells en route to maturity.

stem → progenitor → precursor → adult → mature

[] labeled photomicrograph of bone marrow, diagram of adult stem cell plasticity, diagram of stem cell versus progenitor cell

Stem cell stage:
pluripotential hematopoietic stem cell
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The common myeloid progenitor can generate:

● proerythroblasts (pronormoblasts) → erythropoiesis

● myeloblasts → granulopoiesis

● monoblasts → monocytopoiesis

● megakaryoblasts → thrombopoiesis

The common lympoid progenitor can generate:

● lymphoblasts → lymphopoiesis

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Committed progenitor stage to mature cell : granulopoiesis

common myeloid progenitor

myeloblast

B/E/N promyelocyte

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B/E/N myelocyte

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B/E/N metamyelocyte

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B/E/N band

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basophil, eosinophil, neutrophil

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mast cell -----------------------

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Committed progenitor stage to mature cell : lymphopoiesis

common lymphoid progenitor

lymphoblast

----------------------------------------↓ rearrangements H: D-J → H: V-DJ

prolymphocyte

-----------------↓ rearrangements L: V-J --------------------------

small lymphocyte------or----- natural killer cell (large granular lymphocyte)

------------↓ IgM→IgD ---------------------------------------------

------B lymphocyte--or-- T lymphocyte

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

--------plasma cell------------------------------------------lymphoid dendritic cell

Development of mature B lymphocytes from multipotent progenitors requires the coordinated activities of a number of transcriptional regulatory proteins, including EBF, Pax-5, and E2A.

During B cell-development from the precursor stage, differentiation involves rearrangement of the heavy chain gene segments. The functional integrity of the rearranged gene is tested: Precursor-B cells express two single domain Ig-like proteins of invariant sequence that substitute for the light chain. Formation of a complex comprising the μ (mu) heavy chain with the surrogate light chains instructs the cell to discontinue rearrangement of the heavy chain locus and to commence rearrangement of the k (kappa) locus. If successful light chain rearrangement is achieved such that the light and heavy chains form a complete antibody, then this complex instructs the cell to discontinue rearrangement of light chains, ensuring that only a single specificity is produced (allelic exclusion). Џ B cell maturation - animation Џ

Those developing B cell clones that fail to generate a productive rearrangement at both one of their heavy chain alleles and a light chain locus will undergo apoptosis. Immune tolerance mechanisms also exist to ensure the death of any newly produced B cells that express an antibody that reacts strongly with self proteins on the surface of host cells.

E2A proteins function in early B lineage development to regulate B lineage-specific gene expression as well as B cell survival. E2A-encoded proteins are involved in the differentiation of a number of cell types, and they are especially important in lymphocyte development.

The E2A gene encodes E47 and E12, which are basic-helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factors that bind DNA either as homodimers or as heterodimers with other bHLH proteins. Such bHLH DNA binding activity in the B-lineage comprises E47 homodimers. Development of thymocytes mainly involves heterodimers of E47 and a related bHLH protein, HEB. Thymocytic E2A protein expression is required to initiate T-cell differentiation. During the development of thymoctyes, E-proteins and their antagonists, Id2 and Id3, regulate T-lineage specific gene expression and TCR rearrangement. E2A and Id proteins block thymocytic maturation in the absence of pre-TCR expression, and pre-TCR signaling acts to promote development in part by inhibiting E2A activity. [l]

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Committed progenitor stage to mature cell : monocytopoiesis

common myeloid progenitor

monoblast

promonocyte

monocyte

----

macrophage or myeloid dendritic cell


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Committed progenitor stage to mature cell : erythropoiesis

common myeloid progenitor

proerythroblast

basophilic erythroblast

polychromatic erythroblast

polychromatic erythrocyte (reticulocyte)

erythrocyte (RBC)

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Committed progenitor stage to mature cell : thrombopoiesis

megakaryoblast
promegakaryocyte
megakaryocyte
thrombocytes (platelets)

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