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.

Natural Killer Cells explains the importance of killer cells and how they are produced. It mentions that the most likely explanation for killer cell production is that they serve as a complementary system for T cells as a primary defense against viruses. However, these cells defend against certain viruses only, such as herpes viruses and influenza viruses. The book also explains the primary functions of killer cells, and it discusses how these cells help recognize damaged tissues, limit further damage to tissues, and regenerate damaged tissues. It discusses how these cells mature and develop, and it covers the different isolation, culture, and propagation methods of these cells. Furthermore, it focuses on the different killer cells that are present in various parts of the human body. The book concludes by explaining that natural killer cells are utilized for clinical therapy of malignancies, and that they have led to positive outcomes in the field of biology and medicine. - Provides a broad, detailed coverage of the biology and interactions of NK cells for students, fellows, scientists, and practitioners - Includes figures, histologic sections, and illustrations of the ontogeny of NK cells

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.

Natural killer (NK) cells have been at the forefront of immunology for two decades. During that time, a great amount of information about these cells has been obtained. They are important in antiinfectious and antitumoral defense and shape the adaptive immune response. In addition, they can act as immunoregulatory cells. In recent years, the therapeutic potential of NK cells in cancer immunotherapy has become increasingly evident. This book describes in detail current knowledge about NK cells and covers a broad range of NK cell-related topics, including those that are not frequently reviewed, e.g. NK cells and allergy or NK cells and skin diseases.

Our motivation for putting together this book was the need for a single source reference that could be used as an introduction to cell-mediated cytotoxicity for newcomers to this field, such as students and fellows beginning work in our laboratories. At present no such book is available, and we felt that it would be useful as a teaching tool and as a way of conveying our enthusiasm about recent progress in the cytotoxicity field to our colleagues in allied areas. It was with some hesitation that we approached our colleagues with the proposal for this book, and we were pleased to find them very supportive of the idea and willing to participate. We thought it important to broaden the scope of the book to include historical, molecular, cell biological, and clinical aspects of cell-mediated cytotoxicity. To our knowledge this is the first book on cell-mediated cytotoxicity with such a broad scope. Historically, studies on cellular cytotoxicity were part of cellular immunology from its origin. One development of tremendous import was the advent of the 51 Cr assay, which allowed this arm of the immune response to be measured easily and quantitatively. Thus, a readout of this effector pathway is available within a few hours; other immune effector functions can take days or even longer to assay, and the assays are often less quantitative.

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the discovery of Natural Killer (NK) cells, this volume focuses on the recent advances in our understanding of NK cell development and differentiation and their acquisition of functional properties, as well as the latest models for NK-cell analysis in mice and applications in clinical medicine. NK cells have travelled a circuitous path from their initial description as ‘spontaneous killers’ (for some simply an experimental artifact) to being a bona fide subset of innate lymphoid cells with a complementary mode of action in immune defense and an important mediator of immune reactivity in health and disease. Together, these reviews provide a timely and concise picture of the evolution of NK cells as essential agents in immunity and as potent weapons against disease. This book offers an appealing and insightful resource for scientists and clinicians.

The current proliferation of scientific information makes it difficult for even the most diligent reader to keep up with the latest developments in his/her own field, let alone other areas of interest. Review articles are one solution, but they too have become so voluminous and detailed that they often defeat the purpose for which they were intended. We have attempted to ease this problem by using a different format. In this volume on Concepts in Viral Pathogenesis, we have assembled a series of mini-reviews/editorials, 1,000 to 2,000 words in length. Each is a pithy distil lation of the state-of-the-art with emphasis on current thinking and unifying concepts rather than a compendium of the literature. The 53 articles, all written by active workers in their respective fields, are organized systemati cally so that the book will provide busy investigators, teachers and students of up-to-date information in a very brief and easily read a conceptual core able form. In addition, the authors have attempted to identify unresolved problems and point to future directions.

This volume synthesizes recent groundbreaking advances in our knowledge of the molecular mechanisms, biological roles, and medical applications of cytotoxic lymphocytes. Leading investigators examine current concepts on the recognition of antigen by T-cell receptors; the molecules mediating target recognition by natural killer cells; the intracellular signalling cascades triggered by these molecules; and the effector molecules that damage target cells. The contributors present new insights into the roles of cytotoxic lymphocytes in vivo in immune regulation, autoimmunity, antiviral resistance, and tumor surveillance. Several chapters explore potential medical applications of cytotoxic lymphocytes, including vaccines, tumor therapy, and treatment of HIV infection.

Persistent Viral Infections Edited by Rafi Ahmed Emory Vaccine Center, Atlanta, USA and Irvin S. Y. Chen UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, USA During the past decade much of our attention has focused on diseases associated with viral persistence. Major breakthroughs in immunology, and the advent of molecular approaches to study pathogenesis have increased our understanding of the complex virus-host interactions that occur during viral persistence. Persistent Viral Infections focuses on: * The pathogenesis and immunology of chronic infections * Animal models that provide, or have the potential to provide, major insights This volume will be essential reading for virologists, immunologists, oncologists and neurologists.