Flashcards: Immune system

Psychosomatic medicine is an interdisciplinary medical field exploring the relationships among social, psychological, and behavioral factors on bodily processes and quality of life in humans and animals.

TIRAP is an adapter molecule associated with toll-like receptors.

TIR-domain-containing adapter-inducing interferon-β (TRIF) is an adapter in responding to activation of toll-like receptors (TLRs).

Monocytes are a type of white blood cell, or leukocyte.

Histamine is an organic nitrogenous compound involved in local immune responses as well as regulating physiological function in the gut and acting as a neurotransmitter.

Interferons (IFNs) are a group of signaling proteins made and released by host cells in response to the presence of several pathogens, such as viruses, bacteria, parasites, and also tumor cells.

A lymphocyte is one of the subtypes of white blood cell in a vertebrate's immune system.

Macrophages (Greek: big eaters, from Greek μακρος (makros) = large, φαγειν (phagein) = to eat) are a type of white blood cell that engulfs and digests cellular debris, foreign substances, microbes, cancer cells, and anything else that does not have the types of proteins specific of healthy body cells on its surface in a process called phagocytosis.

The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) is a set of cell surface proteins essential for the acquired immune system to recognize foreign molecules in vertebrates, which in turn determines histocompatibility.

Natural killer cells or NK cells are a type of cytotoxic lymphocyte critical to the innate immune system.

The spleen (from Greek σπλήν—splḗn) is an organ found in virtually all vertebrates.

The thymus is a specialized primary lymphoid organ of the immune system.

White blood cells (WBCs), also called leukocytes or leucocytes, are the cells of the immune system that are involved in protecting the body against both infectious disease and foreign invaders.

Dendritic cells (DCs) are antigen-presenting cells (also known as accessory cells) of the mammalian immune system.

Tonsils are collections of lymphoid tissue facing into the aerodigestive tract.

In immunology, the mononuclear phagocyte system or mononuclear phagocytic system (MPS) (also known as the reticuloendothelial system or macrophage system) is a part of the immune system that consists of the phagocytic cells located in reticular connective tissue.

Endothelium is a type of epithelium that lines the interior surface of blood vessels and lymphatic vessels, forming an interface between circulating blood or lymph in the lumen and the rest of the vessel wall.

A growth factor is a naturally occurring substance capable of stimulating cellular growth, proliferation, healing, and cellular differentiation.

A lymph node is an oval- or kidney-shaped organ of the lymphatic system, present widely throughout the body including the armpit and stomach and linked by lymphatic vessels.

Paneth cells, along with goblet cells, enterocytes, and enteroendocrine cells, represent the principal cell types of the epithelium of the small intestine.

An allergen is a type of antigen that produces an abnormally vigorous immune response in which the immune system fights off a perceived threat that would otherwise be harmless to the body.

Kupffer cells, also known as stellate macrophages and Kupffer-Browicz cells, are specialized macrophages located in the liver, lining the walls of the sinusoids that form part of the mononuclear phagocyte system.

Sirolimus (INN/USAN), also known as rapamycin, is a macrolide compound produced by the bacterium Streptomyces hygroscopicus that is used in medicine to prevent organ transplant rejection and to treat lymphangioleiomyomatosis.

Alpha defensins are a family of mammalian defensin peptides.

An empyema (from Greek ἐμπύημα, "abscess") is a collection or gathering of pus within a naturally existing anatomical cavity.

CLIP or Class II-associated invariant chain peptide is the part of the invariant chain (Ii) that binds MHC class II groove and remains there until the MHC receptor is fully assembled.

The neuroimmune system is a system of structures and processes involving the biochemical and electrophysiological interactions between the nervous system and immune system which protect neurons from pathogens.

Passive immunity is the transfer of active humoral immunity in the form of ready-made antibodies.

Intelectins are lectins (carbohydrate-binding proteins) expressed in humans and other chordates.

Cathelicidin-related antimicrobial peptides are a family of polypeptides found in lysosomes of macrophages and polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs), and keratinocytes.

The recombination-activating genes (RAGs) encode enzymes that play an important role in the rearrangement and recombination of the genes of immunoglobulin and T cell receptor molecules.

Indoleamine-pyrrole 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO or INDO EC 1.13.11.52) is a heme-containing enzyme that in humans is encoded by the IDO1 gene.

CpG oligodeoxynucleotides (or CpG ODN) are short single-stranded synthetic DNA molecules that contain a cytosine triphosphate deoxynucleotide ("C") followed by a guanine triphosphate deoxynucleotide ("G").

Transporter associated with antigen processing (TAP) is a member of the ATP-binding-cassette transporter family.

Protein M is an immunoglobulin-binding protein found on the cell surface of the human pathogenic bacterium Mycoplasma genitalium.

Signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 (STAT5) refers to two highly related proteins, STAT5A and STAT5B, which are part of the seven-membered STAT family of proteins.

Serum amyloid A (SAA) proteins are a family of apolipoproteins associated with high-density lipoprotein (HDL) in plasma.

Members of the signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) protein family are intracellular transcription factors that mediate many aspects of cellular immunity, proliferation, apoptosis and differentiation.

Calreticulin also known as calregulin, CRP55, CaBP3, calsequestrin-like protein, and endoplasmic reticulum resident protein 60 (ERp60) is a protein that in humans is encoded by the CALR gene.

This article refers to the anti-tumor molecule, and not the a2iib3 integrin activation specific antibody of the same name PAC-1 (first procaspase activating compound) is a synthesized chemical compound that selectively induces apoptosis, or cell suicide, in cancerous cells.

Cross-reactivity applies to the reaction between two different species as opposed to the self-reactivity.

In molecular biology, the protein family Dispanin is another name for Interferon-induced transmembrane protein (IFITM).