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To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the discovery of Natural Killer (NK) cells, this volume focuses on the recent advances in our understanding of NK cell development and differentiation and their acquisition of functional properties, as well as the latest models for NK-cell analysis in mice and applications in clinical medicine. NK cells have travelled a circuitous path from their initial description as ‘spontaneous killers’ (for some simply an experimental artifact) to being a bona fide subset of innate lymphoid cells with a complementary mode of action in immune defense and an important mediator of immune reactivity in health and disease. Together, these reviews provide a timely and concise picture of the evolution of NK cells as essential agents in immunity and as potent weapons against disease. This book offers an appealing and insightful resource for scientists and clinicians.

Microbiology & Immunology --- Biology --- Health & Biological Sciences --- Killer cells. --- Cell-mediated cytotoxicity. --- Cytotoxicity, Cell-mediated --- K cells --- Natural killer cells --- NK cells --- Cell death --- Killer cells --- Immunocompetent cells --- Cell-mediated cytotoxicity --- Immunology. --- Medical virology. --- Oncology. --- Virology. --- Cancer Research. --- Tumors --- Medical microbiology --- Virology --- Virus diseases --- Immunobiology --- Life sciences --- Serology --- Cancer research. --- Cancer research --- Microbiology

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This book focusses on evolutionary, structural and functional aspects of pore-forming proteins, bringing together prominent researchers in the fields of structural biology and cellular and biophysical techniques. The focus is on the MACPF/CDC protein superfamily that was originally discovered because of unexpected structural similarity between a domain present in bacterial cholesterol-dependent cytolysins (CDC) and proteins of the membrane attack complex/perforin (MACPF) family. Members of the MACPF/CDC superfamily are crucial for many biological processes, being efficient agents of development, defence, attack and invasion of cells and tissues. However, their best-known role is in bacterial pathogenesis and the proper functioning of the vertebrate immune system, via formation of transmembrane pores in target cell membranes.   The book contains chapters on the distribution of MACPF/CDC proteins and on aspects of their evolution and structural properties, the similarities between different superfamily members and functional properties of some of the best known examples. The book also contains an overview of biophysical approaches that may be used in the future to provide further insights into how these interesting proteins function.  .

Membrane proteins. --- Cell-mediated cytotoxicity. --- Membranes (Biology) --- Proteins --- Cytotoxicity, Cell-mediated --- Cell death --- Killer cells --- Medicine. --- Chemistry. --- Entomology. --- Pharmacy. --- Biomedicine general. --- Medicine/Public Health, general. --- Science, Humanities and Social Sciences, multidisciplinary. --- Chemistry/Food Science, general. --- Chemistry --- Medicine --- Drugs --- Materia medica --- Pharmacology --- Insects --- Zoology --- Physical sciences --- Clinical sciences --- Medical profession --- Human biology --- Life sciences --- Medical sciences --- Pathology --- Physicians --- Health Workforce --- Biomedicine, general. --- Biology --- Medical sciences. --- Social sciences. --- Humanities. --- Invertebrates. --- Biomedical Research. --- Health Sciences. --- Humanities and Social Sciences. --- Invertebrate Zoology. --- Research. --- Invertebrata --- Animals --- Learning and scholarship --- Classical education --- Behavioral sciences --- Human sciences --- Sciences, Social --- Social science --- Social studies --- Civilization --- Basic medical sciences --- Basic sciences, Medical --- Biomedical sciences --- Health sciences --- Preclinical sciences --- Sciences, Medical --- Biological research --- Biomedical research