Characterization Functions And Roles Of Antigen Specific Regulatory T Cells In Health And Disease

T cells play a vital role mediating adaptive immunity, a specific acquired resistance to an infectious agent produced by the introduction of an antigen. There are a variety of T cell types with different functions. They are called T cells, because they are derived from the thymus gland. This volume discusses how T cells are regulated through the operation of signaling mechanisms. Topics covered include positive and negative selection, early events in T cell receptor engagement, and various T cell subsets.

The Janeway's Immunobiology CD-ROM, Immunobiology Interactive, is included with each book, and can be purchased separately. It contains animations and videos with voiceover narration, as well as the figures from the text for presentation purposes.

This book addresses one of the major challenges of immunology today that is being directed to the translation of the rapidly emerging volume of basic science contributions of immunology to clinical medicine. In so doing, the book systemically introduces and discusses concepts, classifications, phenotypic and functional descriptions of regulatory T (Treg) cells in health and disease. The authors of the 15 chapters were selected from among the most qualified experts in the field of Treg cell research who provide a comprehensive overview of Treg cells and their biology in the ensuing chapters. The beginning chapters provide a useful contemporary classification of Treg cell populations and then progress to chapters that explore basic mechanisms of Treg cell function and epigenetic control. In addition to descriptions of typical CD4+ Foxp3+ cells, other chapters provide detailed presentations of Treg subsets such as CD8+ Tregs and IL-10-producing Tr1 cells. The differences of various Treg subsets, as well as circulating and resident Treg cell populations, are next compared. Importantly, the next chapters provide the clinical correlation of Treg cells with autoimmune diseases, inflammatory diseases, metabolic diseases, cancer and organ transplantation and progress to chapters that highlight emerging innovative technology including nanoparticle-Treg cells and their translational values. In summary, the book will provide a valuable resource not only for graduate students and researchers in the fields of immunology, cell biology and translational medicine but also for all others interested in learning more about Treg cells and their application in human health and disease.

Autoimmune diseases are diverse and responsible for considerable morbidity. Their etiology remains largely unknown, and current therapy with anti-inflammatory drugs is prone to adverse effects, and rarely curative. New therapies with anti-cytokine antibodies or receptors are promising, but require frequent administration of expensive protein drugs. Gene Therapy of Autoimmune Diseases comprehensively reviews research in gene therapy for autoimmune diseases with viral or non-viral vectors. Gene therapy offers the possibility of long-term, continuous delivery of a wide variety of immunosuppressive, anti-inflammatory, or tolerance-inducing agents. Moreover, highly specific genetically modified cells can be produced. This book discusses the most promising avenues in this exciting new field.

Systems and Synthetic Immunology focuses on the similarities between biology and engineering at the systems level, which are important for applying engineering theories to biology problems. With the advent of new genomic techniques, there are numerous systematic investigations underway in the scientific world. This volume highlights techniques that can be used to effectively combine two of the most essential biological fields - Systems Biology and Synthetic Immunology. The respective chapters discuss the role of synthetic immunology in biotechnology, production of biomaterials, and their use in vaccine delivery. Further topics include the importance of cytokines; the use of genomic engineering tools in immunotherapy; immunosensors; nanotherapeutics; and bioinformatics tools in biomedical applications. Given its scope, the book offers readers an up-to-date and comprehensive review of this unique and dynamic field of research.

The vertebrate immune system defends the organism against invading pathogens while at the same time being self-tolerant to the body’s own constituents thus preserving its integrity. Multiple mechanisms work in concert to ensure self-tolerance. Apart from purging the T cell repertoire from auto-reactive T cells via negative selection in the thymus dominant tolerance exerted by regulatory T cells plays a major role in tolerance imposition and maintenance. Among the various regulatory/suppressive cells hitherto described, CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells (Treg) and interleukin-10 producing T regulatory 1 (Tr1) cells have been studied in most detail and are the subject of most articles in this issue. Treg, also called "natural" regulatory T cells, will be traced from their intra-thymic origin to the site of their action in peripheral lymphoid organs and tissues. The repertoire of Treg is clearly biased towards recognition of self-antigens, thereby potentially preventing autoimmune diseases such as gastritis and oophoritis. Regulatory T cells, however also control infections, allergies and tolerance to transplanted tissues and this requires their induction in the periphery under conditions which are not yet fully understood. The concept of dominant tolerance, by far not novel, will offer new insights and hopefully tools for the successful treatment of autoimmune diseases, improved cancer immunotherapy and transplant survival. The fulfillment of these high expectations will, however, require their unambiguous identification and a better understanding of their mode of action.