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The existence of a unique kind of immune cell – the killer lymphocyt- which destroys other cells in a highly specific manner, has fascinated immunologists for almost half a century. How do these cells, whose precursors have lived in communal harmony with their host, decide that some of their cohabitants must die? And how do they kill them? The definition of killer lymphocytes came from discovery of their roles in a wide range of in vivo phenomena such as transplant rejection, virus infection and its related immunopathologies, and anti-tumor responses. Yet for the most part almost everything we know about these cells has come from studying them in vitro. They have yielded their secrets slowly and reluctantly. To understand fully how they work, geneticists and immunologists had to unravel the major histocompatibility systems of vertebrates, a long and torturous road that provided some of the darkest hours of immunology. The search for antigen-sensing receptors on both T cells and NK cells was scarcely less frustrating. And the holy grail of ce- mediated cytotoxicity – defining the mechanism by which killer cells take down their adversaries – sorely tested the ingenuity, patience and mutual good will of laboratories around the world. These questions have now largely been answered. But do we really understand these cells? We can tame them to a large degree in transplant rejection. It may yet turn out that we can harness their immunotherapeutic potential in treating viral and malignant disease.

In Natural Killer Cell Protocols: Cellular and Molecular Methods, Kerry S. Campbell and Marco Colonna have assembled a comprehensive collection of readily reproducible methods designed to study natural killer (NK) cells from the broadest variety of viewpoints. These include not only classic techniques, but also new approaches to standard methods, newly evolved techniques that have become valuable for specific applications, and unique models for manipulating and studying NK cells. Among the advanced methods covered are those for in vitro transendothelial migration, in vivo detection of cells migrating into tumors, immunofluorescence staining of intracellular cytokines, and in vitro NK cell development. Valuable techniques for specific applications include vaccinia virus protein expression, soluble KIR-Fc fusions for HLA class I binding assays, calcium mobilization in cell conjugates, and identification of heterodimeric receptor complexes using cDNA library expression cloning. No less important are accounts of such classic methods as hybrid resistance, ADCC, viral defense, target cell cytotoxicity assays, cloning and culturing, tumor immunotherapy, and generation of HLA class I transfected target cells. Natural Killer Cell Protocols: Cellular and Molecular Methods offers immunologists, cancer researchers, virologists, and cell biologists today's most comprehensive collection of both established and cutting-edge techniques, methods that will contribute significantly to advancing our understanding of this fascinating and critically important class of cells.

B cells used to be considered as a homogeneous population of cells destined to produce antibodies of increasing affinity and to maintain an immunological memory. In recent years, it has been determined that B cells can be subdivided into different subsets characterized by distinct morphologic, phenotypic, and functional features. Presenting results of research work on the definition of B cell subset populations, this book explains the basic mechanisms that control B cell activation, stimulation and regulation. Articles include studies on both normal and malignant B cells and describe the mechanisms underlying T-B cell interactions during the immune response. The most important advances in the field of immunodeficiency are also reported. This volume will be essential not only for basic and clinical immunologists, but also for hematologists, pathologists and rheumatologists with a special interest in the pathogenesis of lymphoproliferative or autoimmune disorders.