免疫学技术

In this chapter, we describe current protocols used for the characterization of macrophages (MΦ) in mouse tissues and in cell suspensions from spleen and lymph nodes. Also, we include a brief description of a complementary approach: culture of primary MΦ. Although culture MΦ are extremely use ...

Gene transfer into mammalian cells has been of crucial importance for studies determining the role of specific genes in the differentiation and cell fate of various hematopoietic lineages. Until recently, the majority of these studies were performed in transformed cell lines due to diff ...

Natural killer (NK) cells are major actors of innate immune responses against viruses, bacteria, parasites, and other mediators of pathology such as malignant transformation. These cells are also directly implicated in the link between innate and adaptive immunity, shaping T-cell re ...

Forward genetics has led to many “breakthrough” discoveries, and with the mouse genome almost fully sequenced, the creation of phenotypes through random germline mutagenesis has become an efficient means by which to find the function of yet undescribed genes. In this chapter, we will provi ...

The interaction of an organism with surrounding microbial communities has a profound impact on its anatomy, physiology, and behavior. The innate immune system plays a major role in the crosstalk between bacteria and the hosts they colonize. Axenic mice provide a powerful in vivo controlled m ...

Anopheles mosquitoes are the major vectors of human malaria parasites. Mosquito–parasite interactions are critical for disease transmission and therefore represent a potential target for malaria control strategies. Mosquitoes mount potent antiparasitic responses, and ...

Among vertebrate model species, the zebrafish embryo combines at an unprecedented level optical accessibility with easy genetic manipulation. As such, it is gaining recognition as a powerful model to study innate immunity. In this chapter, we provide a protocol for the generation of zebr ...

Invertebrates lack an adaptive immune system and rely on innate immunity to resist pathogens. The response of Drosophila melanogaster to bacterial and fungal infections involves two signaling pathways, Toll and Imd, both of which activate members of the nuclear factor (NF)-κB family of t ...

Intracellular pathogens represent a serious threat to human health. Although the biology and the virulence factors involved in intracellular bacterial infection are relatively well documented, little is known about the host factors involved in the infection process. This situa ...

Innate immunity is an ancient and conserved defense mechanism. The worm Caenorhabditis elegans provides a useful tool for studying the function of the innate immune system at the molecular and cellular levels within the context of a whole organism. The powerful genetics of the worm, combined ...

The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is a simple model host for studying the relationship between the animal innate immune system and a variety of bacterial and fungal pathogens. Extensive genetic and molecular tools are available in C. elegans, facilitating an in-depth analysis of host d ...

Plants are resistant to most potentially pathogenic microbes. Frequently, resistance results from defenses activated upon recognition of “non-self.” Invasion of a variety of pathogens, including Gram-negative bacteria, into plants is betrayed by the presence of pathogen-ass ...

The identification of genes underlying complex traits is a challenging task, and there are a limited number of confirmed genes that influence human complex diseases. In particular, few genes involved in complex diseases related to immune response, such as infectious diseases and inflam ...

The genes encoding the killer immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR) are situated within a segment of DNA that has undergone expansion and contraction over time due in large part to unequal crossing over. Consequently, individuals exhibit considerable haplotypic variation in terms of ...

In the mouse, conventional transgenes often produced unpredictable results mainly because they were too small to recapitulate a natural gene context. Bacterial artificial chromosomes (BACs) are large enough to encompass the natural context of most mammalian genes and consequen ...

The continued prospect of emerging pathogens and recent events including the acceptance of widespread drug resistance and threats of bioterrorism have introduced the necessity be creative in our development of therapies for bacterial infections. Many pathogens have both acute a ...

Two-photon microscopy makes it possible to image in real-time fluorescently labeled cells located in deep tissue environments. We describe a procedure to visualize the behavior of natural killer (NK) cells and dendritic cells (DC) in the lymph nodes of live, anesthetized mice. Intravital ...

Our understanding of virus control by natural killer (NK) cells relies mainly on in vitro observations. The significance of these findings for virus control in vivo is not yet fully understood. Complexity is added by the fact that many viruses, particularly herpesviruses, are equipped with s ...

Cellular receptors for immunoglobulins (Fc-receptors; FcR) are central mediators of antibody-triggered effector functions. Immune complex (IC) binding to FcRs results in a variety of reactions such as the release of inflammatory mediators, antibody dependent cellular cytot ...

As mentioned in Chapter 9, Freund’s complete adjuvant (FCA), produced by the Statens Seruminstitut (Copenhagen, Denmark), was chosen as the standard adjuvant preparation because of its extensive use in experimental vaccines in animals, its strong adjuvant effect, and the considerab ...