The Macrophage

Immunobiology of the Macrophage presents an account of the state of knowledge of the immunobiology of the macrophage. The book’s contributors—immunologists of diverse scientific and geographic backgrounds—have been encouraged to give personal accounts of developments in their special fields of interest as well as critical surveys of the backgrounds leading to these developments. The book begins with a study on the functions of macrophages in the initiation and regulation of antibody responses in vitro. This is followed by separate chapters on topics such as the role of macrophages in making antigen more immunogenic and less tolerogenic; functional distinctions between macrophages at different sites; and the role of the macrophage in antigen recognition by T lymphocytes. Subsequent chapters examine interactions between macrophages and lymphocytes in the production of interferon and other mediators of cellular immunity; macrophage cell lines and their uses in immunobiology; and cytotoxic macrophages in allograft rejection.

Macrophages are core components of the innate immune system. Once activated, they may have either pro- or anti-inflammatory effects that include pathogen killing, safe disposal of apoptotic cells or tissue renewal. The activation state of macrophages is conceptualized by the so-called M1/M2 model of polarization. M2 macrophages are not simply antagonists of M1 macrophages; rather, they represent a network of tissue resident macrophages with roles in tissue development and organ homeostasis. M2 macrophages govern functions at the interfaces of immunity, tissue development and turnover, metabolism, and endocrine signaling. Dysfunction in M2 macrophages can ruin the healthy interplay between the immune system and metabolic processes, and lead to diseases such as insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, and type 1 and 2 diabetes mellitus. Furthermore, M2 macrophages are essential for healthy tissue development and immunological self-tolerance. Worryingly, these functions of M2 macrophages can also be disrupted, resulting in tumor growth and autoimmunity. This book comprehensively discusses the biology of M2 macrophages, summarizes the current state of knowledge, and highlights key questions that remain unanswered.

The Macrophage, second edition provides a unique, comprehensive review of the current scientific knowledge of the multifaceted role of this important and intriguing cell in health and disease. In 16 chapters, written by experts in the field, it covers the basic biology and diverse functions of macrophages in specific diseases and the complex interactions between macrophages and other cells. Ranging from their role in the defence against pathogens, their role as hosts for pathogens (including HIV), their complex roles in diseases such as arthritis and cancer, and their potential for use in novel gene therapy approaches to disease treatment, the book gives an up to the minute account of active macrophage research.

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.

The second edition of Avian Immunology provides an up-to-date overview of the current knowledge of avian immunology. From the ontogeny of the avian immune system to practical application in vaccinology, the book encompasses all aspects of innate and adaptive immunity in chickens. In addition, chapters are devoted to the immunology of other commercially important species such as turkeys and ducks, and to ecoimmunology summarizing the knowledge of immune responses in free-living birds often in relation to reproductive success. The book contains a detailed description of the avian innate immune system, encompassing the mucosal, enteric, respiratory and reproductive systems. The diseases and disorders it covers include immunodepressive diseases and immune evasion, autoimmune diseases, and tumors of the immune system. Practical aspects of vaccination are examined as well. Extensive appendices summarize resources for scientists including cell lines, inbred chicken lines, cytokines, chemokines, and monoclonal antibodies. The world-wide importance of poultry protein for the human diet, as well as the threat of avian influenza pandemics like H5N1 and heavy reliance on vaccination to protect commercial flocks makes this book a vital resource. This book provides crucial information not only for poultry health professionals and avian biologists, but also for comparative and veterinary immunologists, graduate students and veterinary students with an interest in avian immunology. With contributions from 33 of the foremost international experts in the field, this book provides the most up-to-date review of avian immunology so far Contains a detailed description of the avian innate immune system reviewing constitutive barriers, chemical and cellular responses; it includes a comprehensive review of avian Toll-like receptors Contains a wide-ranging review of the "ecoimmunology" of free-living avian species, as applied to studies of population dynamics, and reviews methods and resources available for carrying out such research

During the past decade, the rapid growth of molecular and cellular knowledge of macrophages, as a specialized host defense and homeostatic system, has begun to offer attractive targets for therapeutic intervention. Macrophages play a central role in a wide range of disease processes, from genetically determined lysosomal storage diseases, to acute sepsis, chronic inflammation and repair, tissue injury and cell death. Under- or overactivity of macrophage clearance, immune effector functions and responses to metabolic abnormalities contribute to common disorders such as autoimmunity, atherosclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease and major infections including AIDS and Tuberculosis. Whilst the goals of therapeutic intervention based on improved understanding of macrophage functions and their contribution to pathogenesis may seem self evident, there are considerable difficulties in producing useful new agents. The present volume covers a range of subjects and provides opportunities for a more focused macrophage-targeted approach. The individual chapters review selected topics briefly, to place cellular processes and molecular targets in perspective. Overall, the volume should provide a broad sample of the state of the art. Useful reviews and references in the literature are cited within individual chapters.

“Infogest” (Improving Health Properties of Food by Sharing our Knowledge on the Digestive Process) is an EU COST action/network in the domain of Food and Agriculture that will last for 4 years from April 4, 2011. Infogest aims at building an open international network of institutes undertaking multidisciplinary basic research on food digestion gathering scientists from different origins (food scientists, gut physiologists, nutritionists...). The network gathers 70 partners from academia, corresponding to a total of 29 countries. The three main scientific goals are: Identify the beneficial food components released in the gut during digestion; Support the effect of beneficial food components on human health; Promote harmonization of currently used digestion models Infogest meetings highlighted the need for a publication that would provide researchers with an insight into the advantages and disadvantages associated with the use of respective in vitro and ex vivo assays to evaluate the effects of foods and food bioactives on health. Such assays are particularly important in situations where a large number of foods/bioactives need to be screened rapidly and in a cost effective manner in order to ultimately identify lead foods/bioactives that can be the subject of in vivo assays. The book is an asset to researchers wishing to study the health benefits of their foods and food bioactives of interest and highlights which in vitro/ex vivo assays are of greatest relevance to their goals, what sort of outputs/data can be generated and, as noted above, highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the various assays. It is also an important resource for undergraduate students in the ‘food and health’ arena.

Immune Rebalancing: The Future of Immunosuppression summarizes the most promising perspectives of immunopharmacology, in particular in the area of immunosuppression by considering molecular pathways, personalized medicine, microbiome and nanomedicine. Modulation of immune responses for therapeutic purposes is a particularly relevant area, given the central role of anomalous immunity in diseases. These diseases vary from the most typically immune-related syndromes (autoimmune diseases, allergy and asthma, immunodeficiencies) to those in which altered immunity and inflammation define the pathological outcomes (chronic infections, tumours, chronic inflammatory and degenerative diseases, metabolic disorders, etc. Visits immunosuppression from a modern point of view of signalling mechanisms at the light of the current knowledge of signalling mechanisms and regulatory networks allows the reader to formulate new ideas and concepts on how to use immunosuppression the therapeutic purposes Encourages researchers to engage into exploring the field of pharmacological modulation of immune responses in depth, and with the new knowledge and tools available, designs more effective therapeutic strategies to autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, cancer, degenerative diseases and infections Examines the link between molecular pathways associated to immune-suppression and the new immunopharmacology approaches Provides information on the new strategies for drug development in this field Considers the role of microbes in the development of the mammalian immune system and immune responses, which will widen the reader’s strategy for addressing therapeutic immune modulations

The ubiquitous phagocytic cells that we know as macrophages vary in many of their characteristics, depending on their location, physiological state, and function. Although Metchnikoff appreciated many of their potentialities nearly a century ago, most early investigators regarded macrophages primarily as scavenger cells. Research in many fields has made it increasingly obvious that macrophages do, in fact, have a multitude of important functions above and beyond their ability to scavenge and dispose of effete cells and extraneous matter. Several decades ago it was realized that macrophages are the chief agents of antimicrobial cellular immunity. Only during the past few years has the importance of the macrophage-cytophilic antibody system in cellular immunity been appreciated. The maturation of monocytes to macrophages, then to epithelioid cells, and finally to giant cells, has been described both in vivo and in vitro. The contribution of this sequence of events to cellular immunity is not fully apparent but is of great interest. Recent research has led to an awareness of the extensive synthetic capabilities of macrophages. It has been shown that these cells can synthesize interferon, components of complement, and numerous other biologically active substances, including a wide array of enzymes. Macrophages are important in allograft rejection. They function in delayed sensitivity reactions and in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases. They are probably often essential to antibody formation by their activities of trapping and processing antigen, and perhaps by virtue of the activity of their ribonucleic acid. In addition, macrophages are able to detoxify both exotoxins and endotoxins, as well as other injurious compounds. Thus, macrophages have emerged from their historical role as simple scavenger cells to take their place, with lymphocytes, as mobile cells with a wide spectrum of functions of primary importance to body economy. The possible relationships between macrophages and lymphocytes, and between macrophages and other cell types, remain controversial. However, it is probable that one vital function of macrophages is to regulate the proliferation and differentiation of other cell types, and, conversely, that other cells contribute to macrophage homeostasis. Recent rapid advances in research concerning macrophages have resulted in a tremendous increase in the literature, scattered throughout a wide variety of publications. The object of preparing this monograph is twofold: first, to consolidate available information in order to provide a comprehensive characterization of the macrophage for those unfamiliar with it; and, second, to review some of the most recent work in this area for the benefit of those who are already familiar with the field. Wherever possible, reviews are quoted. Many recent findings, not summarized elsewhere, are reviewed in detail. It is hoped that the references cited will provide a point of departure for gaining further information on subjects of special interest to the reader. Even though much is known about the macrophage and its functions, many problems of great interest remain unsolved. For example, consideration of the control mechanisms which operate in the proliferation and differentiation of macrophages offers a challenge for future research. In addition, the molecular events concerned in macrophage-cytophilic antibody activity are of the utmost importance and are incompletely understood. These and similar problems provide promising areas for further investigation.