HMX Immunology Final Exam Study Guide 2026 With Complete Solution

HMX Immunology Final Exam Study Guide 2026 With Complete Solution

HMX Immunology Final Exam Study

Guide 2026 With Complete Solution

Tissue resident sentinel cells include (3 types)

Ans- Dendritic cells, macrophages, and mast cells

Circulating leukocytes involved in innate response (2 types)

Ans- Monocytes and neutrophils

Phagocytic immune cells (2 types)

Ans- Macrophages and neutrophils

Difference between macrophages and neutrophils?

Ans- Neutrophils are short lived and will undergo apoptosis after eating a microbe;

macrophages are longer-lived and will eat apoptotic cells and waste

General cytokine role in innate immune response (and what cells release them?)

Ans- Released by dendritic cells, macrophages, and mast cells. Pro-inflammatory

molecules that interact with blood vessel endothelium to recruit circulating leukocytes,

fluid, and proteins into tissue

Which tissue-resident sentinel cell will release histamine upon activation?

Ans- Mast cell

Cytokines promote up-regulation of what kind of molecule within blood vessel walls?

Ans- Adhesion molecules

E-Selectin

Ans- An adhesion molecule that helps to slow down circulating leukocytes in innate

immune response (low-affinity interaction)

E-Selectin Ligand

Ans- A ligand expressed by circulating leukocytes that helps them stick to blood vessel

endothelium in innate immune response

ICAM-1

Ans- An adhesion molecule that helps circulating leukocytes bind to blood vessel

endothelium in innate immune response (high-affinity interaction)

Integrins (and the name of a specific one)

Ans- A class of adhesion molecules expressed on circulating leukocytes; LFA-1 binds to

ICAM-1 in a high affinity interaction during the innate inflammatory response

Stable Arrest Ans- When a circulating leukocyte comes to a stop within the endothelium

thanks to adhesion molecule interactions and can enter the tissue

Pus Ans- Comprised of fluid and apoptotic cells/waste as a result of an inflammatory

response (DNA, dead bacteria, apoptotic neutrophils)

Psoriasis overview Ans- Autoimmune disease that can cause skin plaques and arthritis;

Skin plaques are caused by immune cells migrating into the skin and initiating an

inflammatory response

Psoriasis risk factors Ans- History of strep infections, skin injury, first degree relative

with psoriasis

TNF-alpha in psoriasis Ans- A pro-inflammatory cytokine expressed in psoriasis that

recruits immune cells into the skin and also acts directly on epithelial cells to produce

thickened/raised patches

Psoriasis treatment (biologics) Ans- Target the pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF-alpha

and therefore prevent the expression of adhesion molecules on endothelial cells and

prevent TNF-alpha from acting directly on epithelial cells

Possible side effects of medications that block adhesion molecules Ans- Susceptibility

to infection due to inhibiting leukocyte entry into tissue

Most abundant leukocyte Ans- Neutrophils

What kind of infections are neutrophils particularly effective against? Ans- Extracellular

bacterial infections

Plasmacytoid dendritic cell Ans- A type of sentinel cell that detects viruses and releases

type 1 interferons

Type 1 Interferons (Type 1 IFNs) function and the cell that is most efficient at producing

them Ans- Group of cytokines that activate the antiviral state during viral infection;

Plasmacytoid dendritic cells

The Antiviral State Ans- Protective state that cells enter in response to Type I

Interferons; proteins that can bind to viral double-stranded RNA are produced, infected

cells will die, RNAse activity is induced

Pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) Ans- Molecules that are commonly

expressed on pathogens but not vertebrate cells, help distinguish self from non-self; can

be on cell surface or released from cells

Gram-Negative Bacterial PAMPs Ans- Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in cell wall, flagellin