Begell House Inc.
Critical Reviews™ in Immunology
CRI
1040-8401
19
1
1999
Recent Advances in Chemokines and Chemokine Receptors
47
10.1615/CritRevImmunol.v19.i1.10
Albert
Zlotnik
DNAX Research Institute
Janine
Morales
Joseph A.
Hedrick
Schering-Plough Research Institute
Chemokines are a superfamily of small cytokine-like molecules which have been described primarily on the basis of their ability to mediate the migration of verious cell types, particularly those of lymphoid origin. The receptors for these molecules are all seven-transmembrane domain G protein-coupled receptors that have historically been excellent targets for small-molecule drugs. This fact, coupled with the advent of large-scale DNA database mining and the recognition that chemokine receptors are also coreceptors for HIV, has driven discovery in this field at a tremendous rate. This process has included not just an expansion of the number of known chemokines and chemokine receptors, but also a greater appreciation for the variety of functions that chemokines are involved in. We review here the molecules that have come from the most recent years of chemokine research as well as many of the new functions that have been ascribed to them.
Mechanisms of Lipid Antigen Presentation by CD1
15
10.1615/CritRevImmunol.v19.i1.20
Robin M.
Jackman
Lymphocyte Biology Section, Division of Rheumatology, Immunology, and Allergy, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115;
Steven A.
Porcelli
Lymphocyte Biology Section, Division of Rheumatology, Immunology, and Allergy, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115;
CDl is a family of cell surface glycoproteins that are related in structure and evolutionary origin to the major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-encoded antigen-presenting molecules. In contrast to MHC-encoded antigen-presenting molecules, CDl binds and presents lipid and glycolipid antigens for specific recog¬nition by T cell antigen receptors. Recent work shows that several CDl family members colocalize with MHC class II proteins within the endocytic system of antigen-presenting cells. Detailed studies of the intracellular trafficking of CDl proteins reveal new mechanisms controlling delivery of antigen-presenting molecules to particular compartments within cells. The combination of overlapping yet distinct trafficking routes for the various CDl family members, combined with emerging information on the heterogeneity of CDl-presented lipid antigens, suggest a model whereby different members of the CDl family could present antigens that occur in various cellular compartments. Furthermore, the CDl family as a group may present antigens from pathogens that are not normally accessible to or efficiently surveyed by the MHC Class I or II systems. The discovery of this third pathway for antigen presentation, together with the appreciation of a previously unrecognized universe of nonpeptide lipid antigens for T cell responses, are likely to have broad implications for our understanding of the cell-mediated immune response and its role in health and disease.
Therapeutic Effects of Substances Occurring in Higher Basidiomycetes Mushrooms: A Modern Perspective
32
10.1615/CritRevImmunol.v19.i1.30
Alexander L.
Weis
international Myko Biologies, Inc., Texas Research Park, 14785 Omicron Dr., Suite 104, San Antonio, TX, 78245, U.S.A.
Solomon P.
Wasser
International Centre for Biotechnology and Biodiversity of Fungi,
Institute of Evolution and Faculty of Natural Sciences,
University of Haifa, Mt. Carmel, Haifa 31905, Israel
This review highlights some of the recently isolated and identified substances of higher Basidiomycetes mushrooms origin that express promising antitumor, immune modulating, cardiovascular and hypercholesterolemia, antiviral, antibacterial, and antiparasitic effects. Medicinal mushrooms have a long history of use in folk medicine. In particular, mushrooms useful against cancers of the stomach, esophagus, lungs, etc. are known in China, Russia, Japan, Korea, as well as the U.S.A. and Canada. There are about 200 species of mushrooms that have been found to markedly inhibit the growth of different kinds of tumors. Searching for new antitumor and other medicinal substances from mushrooms and to study the medicinal value of these mushrooms have become a matter of great significance. However, most of the mushroom origin antitumor substances have not been clearly defined. Several antitumor polysaccharides such as hetero-β-glucans and their protein complexes (e.g., xyloglucans and acidic β-glucan-containing uronic acid), as well as dietary fibers, lectins, and terpenoids have been isolated from medicinal mushrooms. In Japan, Russia, China, and the U.S.A. several different polysaccharide antitumor agents have been developed from the fruiting body, mycelia, and culture medium of various medicinal mushrooms (Lentinus edodes, Ganoderma lucidum, Schizophyllum commune, Trametes versicolor, Inonotus obliquus, and Flammulina velutipes). Both cellular components and secondary metabolites of a large number of mushrooms have been shown to effect the immune system of the host and therefore could be used to treat a variety of disease states.