The recent explosion of information in innate immune pathways for recognition, effect or responses, and genetic regulation has given impetus to investigations into analogous pathways in the human immune response, which in turn has produced attendant insights into both normal physiology and immunopathology. This volume presents a compendium of methods and protocols for the investigation of human innate immunity with application to the study of normal immune function, immunosenescence, autoimmunity and infectious diseases. Among the topics covered are quantitative flow cytometry for Toll-like receptor expression and function; multidimensional single cell mass cytometry (CyTOF) in complex immune interactions and tumor immunity; imaging techniques such as Imagestream high resolution microscopy coupled to flow cytometry, immune cell infiltration of organotypic, biomimetic organs; high-throughput single cell secretion profiling; multiplexed transcriptomic profiling; microsatellite and microRNA methodologies, RNA interference; and the latest bioinformatics and biostatistical methodologies, including in-depth statistical modeling, genetic mapping, and systems approaches.

This volume provides a comprehensive and multidisciplinary overview of fibrocytes, written by the main researchers in the field. It is aimed at a broad audience of scientists and clinicians with an interest in the role of circulating fibrocytes in the etiopathogenesis of different fibrosing disorders, atherosclerosis, autoimmunity, and cancer.

This volume provides a comprehensive and multi-disciplinary overview of the aging lung, written by the main researchers in the field. Current physiological, cellular and molecular understanding of how the lungs age and the relationship to age-associated lung diseases will be presented. The contents are aimed at a broad audience of scientists and clinicians with an interest in the respiratory system, pathogenesis of age-associated lung diseases and clinical implications.

Post-Translational Modifications of Proteins discusses several important topics of interest to researchers and students in protein chemistry and biochemistry, including the occurrence and function of hydroxylated residues and the three enzymes required for their formation; the damaging effects of reactions between sugars and proteins; ADP-riboosylation of proteins outside the nucleus; and Monod, Wyman, and Changeux's concerted model for allosteric control of enzyme activity exemplified by studies on glycogen phosphorylase. The application of Fast Atom Bombardment Mass Spectometry (FAB-MS) to studies on the structure and biosynthesis of various oligosaccharide moieties in protein is examined, and the understanding of the structural diversity and function of glycoprotein oligosaccharides is discussed in this volume.