Host Defenses And Immunomodulation To Intracellular Pathogens

This conference was held under the sponsorship of the Eastern Pennsylvania Branch of the American Society for Microbiology, as one in a continuing series of Basic Science Symposia. The untiring volunteer effects of the members of the Symposium Committee are deeply appreciated. The Bureau of Laboratories of the Pennsylvania Department of Health was a cosponsor and generously provided staff and secretarial services to handle the difficult task of registration. The Department of Microbiology and of Microbiology and Immunology at the five medical schools in Philadelphia -- Temple University School of Medicine, Medical College of Pennsylvania, Thomas Jefferson University, Hahnemann University and the University of Pennsylvania -- were academic cosponsors, and the support of the Chairpersons and the faculties are gratefully acknowledged.

The subject matter of this volume was the basis for a confer ence held in Philadelphia in June, 1981, and is an important one in the contemporary area of how the host interacts with micro organisms. In conception, it grew out of a graduate course entitled, "The Infectious Process," which has been taught in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Temple University School of Medicine during the past twelve years. This course has explored the broad areas of mechanisms of microbial pathogenesis and host resistance by in-depth consideration of selected models of experimental infection and immunity, as well as the clinical literature. It is noteworthy that there is no adequate text for this material, as the subject matter naturally crosses a wide spectrum of traditional disciplinary lines, encompassing topics as diverse as the mechanisms of action of bacterial toxins, the role of complement and antibody in phagocytosis, and the importance of cross-reacting bacterial polysaccharide antigens in vaccine development. A major portion of the course has always considered "cellular immunity" as it applies to host defenses to intracellular pathogens. It is in this area that the necessity for amalgamation of information from different disciplines is most evident, for one must be intimately concerned with the interactions between the microbe and the phagocyte, both before and after specific immune recognition.

Growth factors are elaborated to control the growth of cells in such physiological processes as wound healing, tissue regeneration and the immune response. Abnormal production of these growth factors, their receptors or intracellular med!ators of their action may lead to disease states including oncogenesis. This volume will focus on exciting developments in defining the precise molecular lesions that permit the conversion of controlled proliferative signals to neoplasia, on the possible involvement of growth factors in the development of blood vessel diseases as seen in diabetes and atherosclerosis, on the altered immune surveillance that leads to autoimmunity and on the fundamental mechanisms by which growth factors signal their target cells. We expect that the contents of this volume will help promote understanding of the role of these fundamental biological processes and their alterations in a wide variety of disease states and stimulate new investi gations in this important area of biomedical research. The Editors v CONTENTS PERSPECTIVES ON THE CONTROL OF GROWTH AND DIFFERENTIATION Perspectives on the Biology of Growth Factors . . . •. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • I. B. Fritz Platelet-Derived Growth Factor- Its Role in Health and Disease. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 R. Ross and E. W. Raines Molecular and Developmental Biology Aspects of Fibroblast Growth Factor. • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . • • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • 23 D. Gospodarowicz Chemical and Biochemical Properties of Human Angiogenin. . . . . . . . . . 41 B. L. Vallee and J. F. Riordan GROWTH FACTOR - ONCOGENE RELATIONSHIPS Structure - Function Relationships in Cellular and Viral fps/fes Cytoplasmic Protein-Tyrosine Kinases. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 T. Pawson. P. Greer, M. Moran, K.

It is almost axiomatic that an explosive increase in knowledge and interest concerning host immune defense mechanisms and the immune response system in general is occurring. Many new developments are evident at the interphase between the areas of immunology, infectious diseases, and host defenses to microorganisms. It is now widely rec ognized that a functioning host immune defense system consists of a variety of lymphoid cells. These include effector and affector cells consisting of both Band T cells and their progeny. Mononuclear phago cytes which are widely distributed throughout the body are also intimately involved in these processes. These cells are involved not only in the clearance of particulate matter including bacteria, viruses and fungi, but also presumably in host defense against neo plasia. Among the many triumphs of the biological revolution over the past decade or so is the rapidly developing understanding of how these cells and their products, including antibody, lymphokines, monokines, etc. , function and interact. It is now recognized that although the immune defense system is involved in defense against infectious agents, it is also now be coming quite clear that many infectious agents, including bacteria, viruses and fungi, as well as their products, can interact with the immune response system. For example, it has been long recognized that many of the "adjuvants" which enhance the immune responses in nonspecific ways are derived from microorganisms. Microbial products have marked effects on the immume response system.

Dr. Jose Luis Subiza is the founder and CEO of Inmunotek SL. The other Topic Editors declare no competing interests with regard to the Research Topic subject.

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.

A single tick bite can have debilitating consequences. Lyme disease is the most common disease carried by ticks in the United States, and the number of those afflicted is growing steadily. If left untreated, the diseases carried by ticks-known as tick-borne diseases-can cause severe pain, fatigue, neurological problems, and other serious health problems. The Institute of Medicine held a workshop October 11-12, 2010, to examine the state of the science in Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases.