Annals of Neurosciences, Vol 17, No 4 (2010)
Annals of Neurosciences, Volume 17, Issue 4 (October), 2010
Current topics in Microbiology and Immunology
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Immunological |
“Current topics in microbiology and immunology: Immunological Synapse” Reviewed by Rajendra Kumar and Rupali Sharma. Published by Springer pp 255, Price 129.95 €(Hardcover).
The science of immunology has seen outsized transformation from a medicine named vaccination to a contemporary applied science focused on versatile development in molecular medicine. Fundamental principles of immunology along with their clinical applications provide an exciting platform for specialization. Immune system is able to engender variety of cells and molecules capable of recognizing and removing infinite number of foreign intruders. Functioning of immune system is dependent on a reliable cell-cell communication, which forms the basis of phenomena of Immunological Synapse.
Current volume is an attempt of an additional step toward understanding the immunological synapse. It has the essence of most consensual volume, as editors invited a number of key researchers in the field, to provide perspectives and current understanding of the molecular process in the wake of the formation and function of the immunological synapse. This book targets the professionals as well as the medical or bioscience students by emphasizing on the recent advancement in immunological synapse.
In first chapter, Michael L. Dustin has enlighten the function of immunological synapse and have explained the basic features of molecular interactions in the synapse using the lipid bi-layer on glass surface model. Further he has also explained that how this model along with fluorescent microscopy, can be exploited for the measurement of 2-D affinity and kinetics in cell-cell contact.
Junsang Doh and Matthew F. Krummel have contributed the second chapter. They have reviewed the pattern of cell-cell communication in T lymphocytes and antigen presenting cells and extrapolated it into the framework of immune system as a whole. Here, the authors have suggested various patterns of cell-cell communication in the immune system and have described that how each type of pattern suffice the need of an efficient communication in the system.
Yolanda R. Carrasco has presented his perspective on B-cell synapse by spreading-contraction response theory of B cell activation in the succeeding chapter. Here, authors have suggested that immunological synapse is crucial for increasing the sensibility of B cells to antigen. The authors have discussed the role of single cell imaging techniques like real-time confocal microscopy and total interference reflection fluorescence microscopy in the study of the molecular mechanisms beneath B cell activation.
Since it is crucial to control the immune response for maintaining the self-tolerance, the inhibitory immune synapse comes into the picture. This view has been presented by Philipp Eissmann and Daniel M. Davis. Here, the authors have discussed the role of supra-molecular assemblies to control the interactions between the immune cell kinases, the adaptors and other proteins responsible for immune activation.
Activation of immune cells is an important aspect of the immune system. The activation of T cells begins with the interaction among an antigen-specific T cell, an antigen-presenting cell and the T cell receptor microclusters. The T cell receptors, the kinases and the adaptors are generated upon antigen recognition at the interface. In this regard, the dynamic regulation of T cell receptor and the formation, migration and interaction of CD28 microcluster have been discussed in chapter 5. While Pavel Tolar and Susan K. Pierce have reviewed recent progress in the technology field to depict the events in B cell signalling in chapter 8.
Stephen C. Bunnel, a pathologist from Tufts University Medical School, Boston has discussed the role of various signalling assemblies as a component of immunological synapse affecting the T cell activation. Author has described the diverse types of microclusters revealed by recent imaging techniques and the involvement of these clusters in the immune activation.
The rest of the chapters of this book throw more light on the immunological synapse. Out of these, one chapter has discussed the immune activation, the role being played by the co-receptor for MHC recognition at immune synapse and the decimation of self and non-self. The chapter has suggested that the polarization of T-cell organelles toward the antigen-presenting cells occurs upon the antigen recognition, and various intracellular compartments take part in the development of immunological synapse. Andre’s Alcover and Maria-Isabel Thoulouze have presented the view on polarization of intracellular vesicular compartment trafficking, their role in the development of immune synapse and the method of modulation of intracellular molecular trafficking or signalling involved in the formation of immunological synapse by various lymphotropic viruses. The authors suggested that the immunological synapse shows a high degree of heterogeneity and its dynamic and versatile nature allows the T cells to discriminate among different signals received simultaneously to adjust their biological functions consequently. The Chapter “Plasticity of Immunological Synapses” contributed by Salvatore Valitutti and Loı..c Dupre went over the diversity and adaptability of immune synapse effectuated by the type of cell and the nature of antigenic stimuli.
This book volume should help build the understanding on the state of the art developments in the field of immunological synapse. The reviews presented in the volume provide an insight related to the diverse belongings of immunological synapse. This book also confirms that various researchers are standing head-on for developing scientific understanding on the aspects of immunological synapse, and providing mined information to the scientific society.
doi : 10.5214/ans.0972.7531.1017412
Rajendra Kumar
Department of Immunopathology
Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research,
Chandigarh, INDIA
E-mail: rajendra.bits@hotmail.com
Rupali Sharma
Department of Biochemistry
Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research,
Chandigarh, INDIA
E-mail: 82.rupali@gmail.com
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