Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology

Abstract

Published by Springer-Verlag Price : 129.95 € Hardcover Pages : 255, Vol 340, 2010 ISBN : 978-3-642-03857-0 DOI : 10.1007 Reviewed by Rajendra Kumar and Rupali Sharma "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 co...