High-Yield Immunology

Preface vii Acknowledgments viii Overview 1(4) Synopsis 1(1) Concerns in Medicine 1(1) Host-Parasite Equilibrium 1(1) Development of the Acquired Immune System 2(2) Clonal Selection Theory 4(1) Antigens 5(2) Definitions 5(1) Factors Determining Antigenicity 5(1) Examples of Antigens 5(2) Innate Immunity 7(6) Fundamental Characteristics 7(1) Defensive Mechanisms 7(3) Acute Phase Response (APR) 10(1) Pathogen Recognition Systems 10(3) Antibodies 13(7) General Properties 13(2) IgG 15(2) IgM 17(1) IgA 17(2) IgE 19(1) IgD 19(1) Immunogenetics 20(6) Genetic Control of Immunoglobulin Chain Synthesis 20(1) Genetic Control of Human Leukocyte Antigens (HLAs) 20(4) Genetic Control of the T-Cell Antigenic Receptor (TCR) 24(2) Immunologic Assays 26(9) Overview 26(1) Protection Tests 26(1) Agglutination Tests 26(1) Precipitation Reactions 27(2) Complement Fixation 29(2) Fluorescent Antibody 31(1) Western Blot 31(1) Cell Counting and Flow Cytometry 31(3) Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) 34(1) DNA Microarrays 34(1) The Immune Response 35(8) Humoral Immunity 35(4) Cell-Mediated Immunity (CMI) 39(4) Signal Transduction in Immune Cells 43(10) Effective Immune Responses Require Communication Between a Wide Range of Cell Types 43(1) Receptor Architecture and Fundamental Characteristics 44(4) Signaling Molecules 48(1) Pathways 49(4) Inflammation 53(6) Introduction 53(1) Inflammation Process 53(2) Kinetics 55(1) Mediators of Inflammation 55(4) Hypersensitivity Diseases 59(7) Overview 59(1) Anaphylaxis (Type I) Reactions 59(3) Cell Surface Antigen--Antibody (Ag-Ab) Cytotoxicity (Type II) Reactions 62(1) Antigen-Antibody (Ag-Ab) Complex (Type III) Reactions 63(2) Delayed-Type Hypersensitivity (Type IV) Reactions 65(1) Immunodeficiency Diseases 66(5) Overview 66(1) Developmental Immunodeficiency Disorders 66(2) Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) 68(2) Cytokine and Chemokine Deficiencies 70(1) Senescence (Aging) of the Immune Response 70(1) Autoimmune Disorders 71(5) Overview 71(1) Immunoregulation Breakdown 71(1) Systemic Autoimmune Disorders 72(1) Organ-Specific Autoimmune Disorders 73(3) Immunologic Aspects of Transplantation 76(4) Histocompatibility 76(1) Complications of Organ Transplantation 77(1) Immunosuppression 78(2) Cancer Immunology 80(3) Definition 80(1) Oncogenes 80(1) Cancer and the Immune System 80(1) Cancer Immunotherapy 81(2) Immunization 83(6) Overview 83(1) Specific Vaccines 84(4) Adjuvants 88(1) Study Questions and Answers 89