Chapter 30

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Various authors. (1993). Sci. Am., 269(3), 20-108.
A complete issue of Scientific American devoted to all aspects of immunity.

Generation of gene diversity

Sekiguchi, A. and Frank, K. (1999). V(D)J recombination. Curr. Biol., 9, R835 [DOI: 10.1016/S0960-9822(00)80038-X].
A one-page quick guide to the essential facts of how the immune system generates gene diversity.

Monoclonal antibodies

Yelton, D. E. and Scharff, M. D. (1981). Monoclonal antibodies: a powerful new tool in biology and medicine. Annu. Rev. Biochem., 50, 657-80 [DOI: 10.1146/annurev.bi.50.070181.003301].
General review of techniques and applications

Chien, S. and Silverstein, S. C. (1993). Economic impact of applications of monoclonal antibodies to medicine and biology. FASEB J., 7, 1426-31.
Despite the title, includes a summary of how monoclonal antibodies were developed; this is followed by their practical application and monetary value to industries.

Scott, C. T. (2007). Mice with a human touch. Nature Biotech., 25, 1075-7 [DOI: 10.1038/nbt1007-1075].
Deals with humanized monoclonal antibody production

Zola, H. (2001). Monoclonal antibodies: therapeutic uses. Encyclopedia of Life Sciences, Nature Publishing Group.
A comprehensive description of the development of the field, which summarizes the history of humanized antibody development.

Antigen presentation

Engelhard, V. H. (1994). How cells process antigens. Sci. Am., 271(2), 44-51.
An account of antigen processing and display of fragments on MHC proteins.

Robertson, M. (1999). Antigen presentation. Curr. Biol., 9, R829-30 [DOI: 10.1016/S0960-9822(99)80513-2].
A ‘primer’ article describing how antigens are presented on MHC 1 and MHC 2 proteins. Includes an account of how viruses sabotage the process for their own ends.

Miller, J. F. A. P. (2001). Ruby anniversary: forty years of thymus immunology research. Nature Immunol., 2, 663-4 [DOI: 10.1038/90592].
A fascinating short historical perspective, very readable.

Werlen, G., et al. (2003). Signaling life and death in the thymus: timing is everything. Science, 299, 1859-63 [DOI: 10.1126/science.1067833] [PubMed: 12649474].
Describes differentiation of T cells so that receptors do not react with self.

Dudziac, D., et al. (2007). Differential antigen processing by dendritic cell subsets in vivo. Science, 315, 107 [DOI: 10.1126/science.1136080].

LuDeng and Mariuzza, R. A. (2007). Recognition of self-peptide-MHC complexes by autoimmune T-cell receptors. Trends Biochem. Sci., 32, 500-8 [DOI: 10.1016/j.tibs.2007.08.007].
Describes how T cell receptors distinguish between self and foreign peptides displayed on MHC 1 protein.

Pathogens and the immune system

Goodenough, U. W. (1991). Deception by pathogens. Am. Sci., 79, 344-55.
Describes how, at the molecular level, bacteria and viruses attempt to escape immunological detection.

Felgner, P. L. (1998). DNA vaccines. Curr. Biol., 8, R551-3 [DOI: 10.1016/S0960-9822(07)00358-2].

Haemopoiesis and haemopoietic growth factors

Metcalf, D. (1991). The 1991 Florey Lecture. The colony-stimulating factors: discovery to clinical use. Phil. Trans. Ser. B Roy. Society Lond., 333, 147-73.
An in-depth review by the discoverer of these important proteins.

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