PCB 4233 - Immunology

College of Natural Sciences

Credit(s): 3
Contact Hours: 47
Effective Term Spring 2025 (645)

Requisites

((Prerequisite BSC 2010 with a minimum grade of C and
Prerequisite BSC 2010L with a minimum grade of C) or
Prerequisite BSC 2010CH with a minimum grade of C) and
((Prerequisite MCB 3020 with a minimum grade of C and
Prerequisite MCB 3020L with a minimum grade of C) or
(Prerequisite PCB 3023 with a minimum grade of C and
Prerequisite PCB 3023L with a minimum grade of C))

Course Description

This course teaches the fundamentals and functions of the immune system. The role of the immune system in health and disease is a vital component of life and investigations into this system introduce the student to the organs, tissues, cells, and molecules of the immune system and their relationship to disease. The immune system involves complex interactions between blood cells, chemical signals, cellular signals, genetics, and foreign 'invaders' which allow us to merge concepts from biology, microbiology, biochemistry and genetics.

Learning Outcomes and Objectives

  1. The student will explain the history of immunology and the relationship between infection and immunity by:
    1. describing early vaccination studies that gave rise to the field of immunology.
    2. correlating the historical overlap of studies focused on acquired immunity from vaccination and the mechanism of immunity in the human body.
    3. analyzing the studies identifying the role of antigens in the production of antibodies and clonal-selection theory.
  2. The student will differentiate between innate and adaptive immunity by:
    1. identifying the physical and chemical barriers of the innate immune system.
    2. explaining hematopoiesis leading to the production of red and white blood cells.
    3. describing the organs of the immune system.
    4. characterizing the specific functions associated with each type of blood cell and all lymphoid organs.
    5. explaining the multi-step process of inflammation and the cells involved in tissue repair.
  3. The student will illustrate the role of antigens and antibodies in B-cell and T-cell responses by:
    1. identifying the characteristics of an antigen including size and composition.
    2. elucidating the process by which the immune system recognizes endogenous and exogenous antigens, including:
      1. explaining the function of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules.
      2. describing the process of antigen presentation with MHC I and MHC II molecules.
    3. explaining the role of antibodies in cell-mediated responses, including:
      1. describing the basic structure of an antibody and antigen-binding site.
      2. identifying the properties associated with the five classes of antibodies.
      3. analyzing the generation of antibody diversity by somatic hypermutations and class switching.
      4. describing the role of antibody reactions in opsonization, complement activation, antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity, and transcytosis.
      5. describing the role of antibodies as cell surface receptors.
    4. explaining the process of T-cell maturation, activation, and differentiation, including:
      1. maturation of the T-cell in the thymus and thymic selection.
      2. recognition of antigens complexed with antigen presenting cells.
      3. signal transduction pathways that give rise to T-cell differentiation.
      4. generation of effector and memory T-cells.
      5. functions associated with each cell type.
    5. elucidating the process of B-cell maturation, activation, and differentiation, including:
      1. the maturation of the B-cell in the bone marrow and clonal selection.
      2. recognition of antigens and the signal transduction pathways that give rise to B-cell differentiation.
      3. generation of plasma and memory B-cells.
      4. functions associated with each cell type.
  4. The student will evaluate the effects of cytokines on various components of the immune system by:
    1. describing properties of cytokines and identify cells that produce cytokines.
    2. explaining the biological functions associated with the four families of cytokines, including: describing the role of cytokines in septic shock, leukocyte activation and migration, cell-mediated cytotoxic responses, and hypersensitivity reactions.
  5. The student will assess the role of the immune system in health and disease by:
    1. describing the role of the immune system in autoimmune disease, including but not limited to: lupus, multiple sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis.
    2. explaining the basics of transplantation immunology, including:
      1. the role of T-cells in graft rejection.
      2. clinical aspects of the most common transplantations (such as screening of donors, preparation of a patient for transplantation, and immunosuppressive therapy).
    3. describing the immune response to infectious diseases including viral, bacterial, parasitic, and fungal infections.
    4. describing the effects of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) on macrophage and T-cell population, including:
      1. identifying the viral structure and surface molecules necessary for attachment.
      2. outlining the viral life cycle and viral enzymes necessary for infection.
      3. detailing the consequences of HIV infection on the immune system and processes leading to the resulting immunosuppression.
    5. describing the effects of vaccines on the immune system, and comparing and contrasting the following:
      1. active and passive immunization.
      2. attenuated, inactivated, subunit, conjugate, and DNA vaccines.
    6. explaining the development of cancer and the response of the immune system, including descriptions of:
      1. the formation of cancerous cells by mutations within the proto-oncogenes and tumor-suppressor genes or transformation by viral infections.
      2. evasion of the immune system by the cancerous cells.
      3. immunotherapy cancer treatments.

Criteria Performance Standard

Upon successful completion of the course the student will, with a minimum of 70% accuracy, demonstrate mastery of each of the above stated objectives through classroom measures developed by individual course instructors.

History of Changes

C&I Approval: 11/14/2011, BOT Approval: 10/20/2011, Effective Term: Spring 2012 (450).
C&I Approval: , BOT Approval: , Effective Term: Spring 2025 (645)

Related Programs

  1. Biology (BIOLOGY-BS) (670) (Active)