The Biology of Germinal Centers in Lymphoid Tissue

This book meets the demand of a recent surge of interest in germinal centers, the foci of antigen-induced, rapidly proliferating B lymphocytes, representing sites in mammalian lymphoid tissue where memory B cells are generated. Various aspects of the generation of germinal centers, the somatic hypermutation process and the cellular interactions involved in the selection process are discussed in detail. A chapter on germinal center-derived lymphomas completes the treatment.

The latest results on the research in mammalian lymphoid tissue and lymphomas.

Inhalt

1. Overview of Germinal Center Function and Structure in Normal and Genetically Engineered Mice.- 2. The Germinal Center Reaction: Influence of FDC Function in Normal, Aged, and Retrovirus Infected Hosts.- 3. T and B Lymphocytes in Germinal Centers.- 4. Somatic Hypermutation of Immunoglobulin Genes.- 5. Germinal Center Derived Lymphomas in Humans and Mice.- Color Figures.