Molecular analysis of B lymphocyte development and activation
The B lymphocyte lineage represents an important paradigm for exploring the molecular mechanisms underlying cell fate specification, differentiation and cellular activation. In the past five years, major advances have been achieved in our understanding of the transcriptional control of early B cell development and terminal plasma cell differentiation. In addition new insights became available for the processes of B cell activation, class switch recombination and somatic hypermutation. Many of the new findings and their implications for a molecular understanding of B cell biology in particular and cell differentiation in general are covered in this volume.
Mechanisms of Lymphocyte Activation and Immune Regulation XI ; B Cell Biology
These proceedings highlight recent developments in lymphocyte development, Ig gene rearrangements and somatic hypermutation, chromatin structure modification, B lymphocyte signaling and fate, receptor editing, and autoimmunity.
Mechanisms of Lymphocyte Activation and Immune Regulation X ; Innate Immunity
Mechanisms of Lymphocyte Activation and Immune Regulation X: Innate Immunity is the proceedings of the Xth International Conference on Mechanisms of Lymphocyte Activation and Immune Regulation: Innate Immunity, held February 6-8, 2004 in Newport Beach, California. It is the tenth volume of its kind to appear in the series Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology. Topics include toll receptors, dendritic cells, NK cells, and complement receptors.
Immunogenetics: Methods and Protocols
Explores techniques for working in the field of immunogenetics, i.e. fundamental and translational research into the adaptive immune receptor repertoire. Many chapters are dedicated to lab protocols, bioinformatics, and immunoinformatics analysis of high-resolution immunome analysis, exemplified by numerous applications. Additionally, the newest technological variations on these protocols are discussed, including non-amplicon, single-cell, and cell-free strategies. Written for the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls.
Immunogenetics of Autoimmune Disease
Utoimmunity is the downstream outcome of a rather extensive and coordinated series of events that include loss of self-tolerance, peripheral lymphocyte Aactivation, disruption of the blood-systems barriers, cellular infiltration into the target organs and local inflammation. Cytokines, adhesion molecules, growth factors, antibodies, and other molecules induce and regulate critical cell functions that perpetuate inflammation, leading to tissue injury and clinical phenotype. The nature and intensity of this response as well as the physiological ability to restore homeostasis are to a large extent conditioned by the unique amino acid sequences that define allelic variants on each of the numerous participating mol ecules. Therefore, the coding genes in their germline configuration play a primary role in determining who is at risk for developing such disorders, how the disease progresses, and how someone responds to therapy. Although genetic components in these diseases are clearly present, the lack of obvious and homogeneous modes of transmission has slowed progress by prevent ing the full exploitation of classical genetic epidemiologic techniques. Furthermore, autoimmune diseases are characterized by modest disease risk heritability and m- tifaceted interactions with environmental influences. Yet, several recent discoveries have dramatically changed our ability to examine genetic variation as it relates to human disease. In addition to the development of large-scale laboratory methods and tools to efficiently recognize and catalog DNA diversity, over the past few years there has been real progress in the application of new analytical and data-manage ment approaches
Immunobiology of natural killer cell receptors
Natural Killer (NK) cells are large granular lymphocytes of the innate immune system. They are widespread throughout the body, being present in both lymphoid organs and non-lymphoid peripheral tissues. NK cells are involved in direct innate immune reactions against viruses, bacteria, parasites and other triggers of pathology, such as malignant transformation, all of which cause stress in affected cells. Importantly, NK cells also link the innate and adaptive immune responses, contributing to the initiation of adaptive immune responses and executing adaptive responses using the CD16 FcgRIIIA immunoglobulin Fc receptor. Such responses are mediated through two major effector functions, the direct cytolysis of target cells and the production of cytokines and chemokines. The authors focus here on the nature of recognition events by NK cells and address how these events are integrated to trigger these distinct and graded effector functions.
Immune Mechanisms in Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Immune Mechanisms in Inflammatory Bowel Disease is a highly, concise update of the most recent advances in the immunobiology, genetics and microbiology related to Inflammatory Bowel Disease. This book broadly treats the topics that lead to understanding of the pathogenesis of this disease in an organized, systematic approach.
How the immune system recognizes self and nonself : Immunoreceptors and their signaling
This brain function must have been particularly important for most animals to protect their lives from enemies and for species to survive through evolution. Similarly, higher organisms have also acquired their immune system through evolution that discriminates nonself pathogens and self-body to protect their lives from pathogens such as bacteria or viruses. The brain system may distinguish integrated images of self and nonself created from many inputs, such as vision, sound, smell, and others. The immune system recognizes and distinguishes a variety of structural features of self and nonself components. The latter actually include almost everything but self.
Heat shock proteins : Potent mediators of inflammation and immunity
Written by leaders in the field of heat shock protein immunobiology, the chapters systematically and in a step wise fashion takes the reader through the fascinating sequence of events by which heat shock proteins activate immune responses and provides answers as to its biological significance to the host.
Handbook of Atopic Eczema
This second edition comprises the state of the art in pathophysiology, clinical medicine and therapeutic management. It demonstrates that there is no simple "miracle" cream, pill or diet for this disease, but that a disturbed barrier function can only be repaired by adequate and individualized skin care and it shows how unspecific anti-inflammatory treatment has to be individually tailored according to body area affected, patient age and acuity of skin lesions.
Gut-Associated Lymphoid Tissues
The intestine is colonized by an impressive community of commensals, that has profound effects on the immune funtions. The relationship between gut microbiota and the immune system is one of reciprocity: commensals have important contribution in nutrient processing and education of the immune system and conversely, the immune system, particularly gut-associated lymphoid tissues plays a key role in shaping the repertoire of gut microbiota.
Flow cytometry in hematopathology : A visual approach to data analysis and interpretation
Although instrumentation and laboratory techniques for flow cytometry (FCM) immunophenotyping of hematopoietic malignancies are well documented, there is relatively little information on how best to perform data analysis, a critical step in FCM testing. In Flow Cytometry in Hematopathology: A Visual Approach to Data Analysis and Interpretation, three physicians highly experienced in laboratory hematopathology and FCM offer a unique systematic approach to FCM data analysis and interpretation based on the visual inspection of dual parameter FCM graphics. This step-by-step approach to optimal FCM data analysis is demonstrated by means of numerous FCM graphics derived from actual well-documented clinical cases.The focus of the additional material is on the TCR-Vb eight-tube kit which has greatly facilitated the evaluation mature T-cell disorders, and on the DNA dye DRAQ5 for improved grading of malignant lymphoma. The authors also include notes on "tricks of the trade" and pitfalls to avoid. The discussion, covering leukemias, lymphomas, and other conditions, moves from simple to complex specimens, with an emphasis on visual pattern analysis.
Lymphocyte Trafficking in Health and Disease
Since the discovery of chemokines and of chemokine receptors it has become evident that expression of chemokines at the site of inflammation may regulate the composition of cellular infiltrate, thereby directing the type of immune response. Recently, the molecular characterization of inherited disorders of immune system, (e.g., Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome, WHIM syndrome, leukocyte adhesion deficiency), which are characterized by cytoskeleton/adhesion defects or by altered response of chemokine receptors has contributed to clarifying the key players of immune response in normal physiology and in disease. This book, which deals with the description of the role of chemokines in immune response and underlines potential targets of therapeutical intervention, offers a series of contributions of the most challenging aspects of lymphocyte migration in homeostasis and in disease.
Lymphocyte Signal Transduction
Signal transduction through leukocyte receptors involves a variety of signaling molecules including kinases, phosphatases, adaptor proteins, small GTPases GTP exchange factors, membrane phospholipids as well as others. These signal transducers, regulated by inter- and intra-molecular interactions, as well as by various post-translational modifications, lead to the activation of transcription factors that mediate cellular differentiation and growth, effector cell functions, and apoptotic cell death. Several investigators from various parts of the world convened at the 3rd Lymphocyte Signal Transduction Workshop in Crete, Greece from May 27 to June 1, 2005 to discuss their most recent findings in leukocyte signaling. This volume represents a collection of topics discussed during the conference.
Lung biology and pathophysiology
The lungs are the organ for gas exchange between the body and the external environment. Dysfunction of upper airway epithelium and smooth muscle cells leads to pathogenesis of asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cystic fibrosis, and other conditions, resulting in airway inflammation and narrowing. Injury to alveolar epithelium and endothelium causes influx of neutrophil and protein-rich fluid from circulation, resulting in edema and disruption of gas exchange. In addition to lung structural cells, immune cells, including alveolar macrophages and lymphocytes play critical roles in the maintenance of lung function. This book contributes to the understanding homeostasis of lung cells in the physiological and pathological conditions critical to the development of novel therapeutics.
Killer Lymphocytes
This extensively documented, comprehensive survey of cell-mediated cytotoxicity (CMC) traces the history of killer lymphocytes from 1960 to the present, providing a definitive resource for specialists and non-specialists alike.
Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) is the most common leukaemia in the Western world. It is also the prototype of B-cell chronic lymphoid malignancies and of their ramifications within the fields of hematology, immunology and oncology. developments of basic science into effective new approaches to the patient.
Chemokines and Viral Infection
This edition of Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology examines the role of chemokines and chemokine receptors in host defense and disease development following viral infection. Chemokines represent a family of over 40 small proteins that, for the most part, are secreted into the environment and function by binding to G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) that are expressed on numerous different cell types. When initially identified close to 30 years ago, these molecules were associated with various human inflammatory diseases and it was recognized that expression may be integral in leukocyte recruitment to inflamed tissue. There are now four sub-families of chemokines identified based on defined structural criteria relating to the positional location of conserved cysteine residues within the amino-terminus of the protein. Chemokines are now recognized as important in numerous biological processes ranging from maintaining the organizational integrity of secondary lymphoid tissue to participating in various aspects of both innate and adaptive immune responses following microbial infection. With this in mind, this book highlights the functional roles of chemokines and their receptors in participating in various aspects of the immune response against well-known viral pathogens.
Breast cancer research and treatment : innovative concepts
Focuses on innovative treatment options for breast cancer, including surgery, radiotherapy, systemic therapy and of course immunotherapy that is changing outcomes in some aggressive breast cancer histotypes. Subsequent chapters also address the ongoing emerging research in the screening, diagnostics, and management of all subtypes of breast cancers. All current landscapes and future perspectives in each molecular subtype: luminal, HER2-positive, and triple-negative breast cancers are discussed within the different chapters. Breast cancer is still the most common cancer and cause of cancer deaths among women worldwide. The improvement of breast cancer outcome appears to be strictly related to the validation of precise biomarkers that enable us to better select personalized approaches in breast cancer management. The closing chapters deal with the challenges of low income countries of conducting research in the era of precision medicine for cancer. The book is edited and authored by leading experts in this field and will be of interest for clinicians and scientists alike
Breast cancer genetics, immunology, and immunotherapy : An interdisciplinary approach
Publishes comprehensive volumes on immune and genetic mechanisms of breast cancer diagnosis and prognosis. The role of molecular genetics, interleukins, chemokine receptor, and tumor-infiltrated lymphocytes-TILS in breast cancer are explained. Targeting myeloid determinants, SiRNA loaded in drug delivery nanosystems, nucleic acid and drug dual agent nanoplatforms, and oncolytic virotherapy are also discussed in the treatment of breast cancer, particularly in multidrug resistant and metastatic breast cancer.



















