Cellular & Molecular Immunology receives its first Impact Factor

Overview

A fluorescence microscope uses fluorescent chromophores called fluorochromes, which can absorb energy from a light source and then emit this energy as visible light. Fluorochromes include naturally fluorescent substances (such as chlorophylls) and fluorescent stains that are added to the specimen to create contrast. Dyes such as Texas red and FITC are examples of fluorochromes. Other examples include the nucleic acid dyes 4’,6’-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI), and acridine orange.
The...

Immunoglobulin-like cell adhesion molecules or Ig-CAMs are a versatile group of cell surface glycoproteins belonging to the immunoglobulin protein superfamily. Ig-CAMs possess the characteristic immunoglobulin protein domains and other domains such as the fibronectin type III domain. The Ig domains are glycosylated to varying degrees in different Ig-CAMs.
Ig-CAMs exhibit either homophilic binding (to other Ig-CAMs) or heterophilic binding (to other ligands such as integrins). While most Ig-CAMs...

The initiation of cell-mediated immunity can be observed as early as the third month of fetal growth, with active antibody-mediated immunity following approximately one month later.
The initial cells that migrate from the fetal thymus settle within the skin and epithelial tissues lining the mouth, digestive tract, and in females, the uterus and vagina. These cells, including skin-based dendritic cells, serve as antigen-presenting cells, playing a key role in T cell activation.
Subsequent T...

Immunoprecipitation, or IP, is a widely used technique that employs protein-antibody interactions to isolate proteins or protein complexes in their native state for studying protein-protein interactions, quaternary structures, or supramolecular complexes. Various modifications of the technique, including chromatin IP, cross-linking IP, and fluorescence IP, are commonly used.
Chromatin Immunoprecipitation
Chromatin immunoprecipitation, also known as ChIP, is used to study protein-DNA or...

The T and B lymphocytes of the adaptive immune system develop from common lymphoid progenitor cells in the bone marrow. These progenitors give rise to precursors that eventually develop into both T and B lymphocytes. As these precursors mature, they gain the ability to detect and respond to foreign antigens in the body, a process known as immunocompetence. Additionally, these precursors acquire self-tolerance, a process that ensures they do not react to self-antigens. This intricate system...