Published in Current protocols in immunology
Natural killer (NK) cells are large granular lymphocytes of the innate immune system, responsible for direct targeting and killing of both virally infected and transformed cells. NK cells rapidly recognize and respond to abnormal cells in the absence of prior sensitization due to their wide array of germline-encoded inhibitory and activating recept...
Published in Peptides
Published in Current protocols in immunology / edited by John E. Coligan ... [et al.]
HIV disease is associated with abnormalities in all major lymphocyte populations, including B cells. B cell dysfunction in HIV infection is largely driven by alterations in the subsets of B cells that circulate in the blood or reside in tissues. Meaningful functional assays are thus dependent on the identification and isolation of B cell subsets pr...
Published in Current protocols in immunology / edited by John E. Coligan ... [et al.]
Natural killer (NK) cells play an important role in the innate immune system by eliminating infected and mutated cells. Their cytotoxic capacities vary markedly among individuals. The cytotoxic activity can be measured in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) using the NK cell-specific target cell line K562. In this chapter, we present a proto...
Published in Current protocols in immunology / edited by John E. Coligan ... [et al.]
Myasthenia gravis (MG) is a T cell-dependent antibody-mediated autoimmune neuromuscular disease. Antibodies to the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AChR) destroy the AChR, thus leading to defective neuromuscular transmission of electrical impulse and to muscle weakness. This unit is a practical guide to the induction and evaluation of experimental...
Published in Current protocols in immunology / edited by John E. Coligan ... [et al.]
Considerable interest has emerged towards phagocytosis of apoptotic cells, due to its intricate molecular mechanisms and important regulatory functions in development, homoeostasis, and immune tolerance. Impaired clearance of apoptotic cells leads to immune-mediated disorders. Current quantification methods of the engulfment of apoptotic cells by m...
Published in Current protocols in immunology / edited by John E. Coligan ... [et al.]
In this unit, we describe a simple coculture-free method for obtaining mast cells from mouse and human embryonic stem (ES) cells. Much of our knowledge regarding the mechanisms by which mast cells are activated comes from studies of mouse bone marrow-derived mast cells. Studies of human mast cells have been hampered by the limited sources from whic...
Published in Current protocols in immunology / edited by John E. Coligan ... [et al.]
Natural killer (NK) cells are an important effector cell of innate immunity. Their interaction with susceptible target cells triggers NK cell cytotoxicity and the release of cytokines. Immunofluorescence flow cytometry-based assays are now the preferred methods for measuring NK cell responses. For these assays, assessment is made on NK cells (CD3(-...
Published in Current protocols in immunology / edited by John E. Coligan ... [et al.]
This unit includes protocols for the analysis of the targeting properties of Fc chimeric proteins and antibodies in mice in vivo. We present procedures to prepare the reagents to be tested under endotoxin-free conditions, suitable injection sites, methodology for tissue collection, and processing, and labeling procedures to detect the injected mate...
Published in Current protocols in immunology / edited by John E. Coligan ... [et al.]
The mucosal lining of the human uterus is host to a specialized population of leukocytes, which, during pregnancy, interact with invading placental cells (trophoblast) of fetal origin. Of particular interest are uterine natural killer cells, which account for around 70% of the leukocytes at this site during the first trimester of pregnancy, and see...
