Short description:

With a wide variety of investigative approaches, T cell immunology is a vital and open field of study. In T Cell Protocols, Second Edition, an international panel of experts contribute fully updated classic protocols as well as newly established novel techniques for the study of T lymphocyte biology.  Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology? series format, the chapters in this volume provide brief introductions to the topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and Notes sections which collect expert tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls.

Up-to-date and easy to use, T Cell Protocols, Second Edition is an ideal guide for young investigators new to the complex field of immunology as well as a valuable, concise resource for experienced scientists searching for clear, efficacious descriptions of novel methods.

Long description:

This book is a collection of protocols, to provide novel techniques for the study of the biology of T lymphocytes. The methods described in this book do not cover all of the techniques currently used to study T cell-mediated immune responses for the simple reason that T cell immunology is probably the immunological discipline which can be investigated with the widest variety of approaches. Thechoiceofchapterswasmadetakingintoaccounttwopoints:First,manyofthe techniquesthathavebeen usedfor sometimehave beenupgraded duringthe pastfew years given the greater availability of a variety of products (i.e. cytokines, chemokines, monoclonal antibodies), of refined technical devices (i.e. novel cell culture and cell analysis equipments), and the development of novel instrumentation (i.e. multipa- metric flow cytometers, confocal microscopes). Therefore, in several chapters ??old techniques??, which remain fundamental to T cell immunology, are described in their ??modern?? versions. Secondly, the technical advancement has generated the possibility to establish novel assays to investigate T cell physiology. This is reflected in the chapters which describe the protocols that allow use of these modern approaches. The preparation of this book has required participation of several scientists, all leading experts in their respective fields. Without their enthusiastic participation, this work would not have been possible. Therefore, I thank all authors for their contri- tionsandacceptallcriticismformissingparts,orinformationordetails,forwhichonly I am responsible. I hope these protocols will be useful for young investigators who approach for the first time the complex field of immunology and for those more experienced scientists who look for concise and efficaciousdescriptions of novel methods.

From the reviews of the second edition:

"A great collection of protocols, some totally new and some upgraded ? to study the biology of this fascinating cell is wellcome by the scientific community. ? Thanks to the generation of ? PFC, is now at the hands of those scientists that want to advance our understanding of T cells biology. ? the book will be of enourmous help both to beginners and to experienced scientists is well underlining the esprit of the book, as I showed with the three examples illustrated." (CarloAlberto Redi, European Journal of Histochemistry, October, 2009)

Table of Contents:

Analysis of Frequency and Phenotype of Antigen-Specific T Cells.- B Cell Helper Assays.- transkingdom RNA Interference (tkRNAi): A Novel Method to Induce Therapeutic Gene Silencing.- Flow Cytometry and Cell Activation.- Investigating T Cells by Polychromatic Flow Cytometry.- Generation of Human T Cell Clones.- Limiting Dilution Analysis of Antigen-Specific T Cells.- T Cell Epitope-Mapping by Cytokine Gene Expression Assay.- Cytokine Multiplex Immunoassay: Methodology and (Clinical) Applications.- Purification of the T Cell Antigen Receptor and Analysis by Blue-Native PAGE.- Non-Replicating Recombinant Vaccinia Virus Expressing CD80 to Enhance T-Cell Stimulation.