Immune system structure

Schattner, E. L., and Casali, P., The immune system Structure and function. In Neoplastic Hematopathology (D. M. Knowles, ed.), pp. 43-92. Lippincott Williams Wilkins, Philadelphia, 2001. 

It should be noted that other important protein targets exist such as ion channels, transport proteins, and components of the immune system. Structural information for some of these targets exists, but these are beyond the scope of this review. 

Inghirami G, Knowles D. The immune system structure and function. In Knowles D, ed. Neoplastic Hematopathology. Baltimore Williams Wilkins 1992 27-72. 

FELTEN, D. L., FELTEN, S. Y., BELLINGER, D. L., CARLSON, S. L., ACKERMAN, K. D., MADDEN, K. s., OLSCHOWKi, J. A. LIVNAT, s. (1987) Noradrenergic sympathetic neural interactions with the immune system structure and function. Immunological Reviews. 100,225-260. 

Structures expressed in the organs of an individual against his own immune system can mount an immune response. Autoantigens can be organ specific (e.g. insulin) or present in all cells (e.g. DNA). 

As mentioned in the introduction, various reviews over the last ten years show that many plants contain bioactive polysaccharides. Most of the plants studied were chosen due to their traditional use for different kinds of illnesses where the immune system could be involved. The following section will describe the pectic type polymers from the plants most studied for their structure, and activities related to the structure where possible. 

Apart from liposomes, other vehicles for delivery of antigens to the immune system, such as iscoms, emulsions, and micellar structures, are presently under investigation (Jiskoot et al., 1986b Allison and Byars, 1986 Kersten et al., 1988a,b). 

Scherphof, G., Damen, J., and Hoekstra, D. (1981). Interactions of liposomes with plasma proteins and components of the immune system, in Liposomes From Physical Structure to Therapeutic Applications (C. G. Knight, ed.), Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp. 299-322. 

Science 200T,21(5512) 2263. (This issue contains a special section entitled Carbohydrates and Glycobiology. It contains articles on the synthesis, structural determination, and functions of sugar-containing molecules and the roles of glycosylation in the immune system). 

Chemokines are small chemotactic cytokines that act as important messenger molecules between cells of the immune system. Chemokines produce their effects by activating a family of G-protein-coupled receptors. Chemokine receptors are all seven-transmembrane glycoproteins that are structurally related. They may be characterized into those that bind to specific ligands, or those that bind several chemokine ligands. There are also virally encoded (viral) chemokine receptors that represent shared receptors that have been transduced into the viral genome during evolutionary history (Premack and SchaU 1996). 

The neuropeptide Y (NPY) belongs to a family of peptides that includes peptide YY and pancreatic polypeptide, and it is associated with several diseases such as asthma, immune system disorders, inflammatory diseases, anxiety, depression and diabetes mellitus. NPY is found in the central and peripheral nervous system, and its biological functions are mediated by interactions with five receptor sub-types, i.e. Yl, Y2, Y4, Y5 and Y6. Several studies indicate that the feeding behavior is influenced by interactions between NPY and Yl and Y5. Deswal and Roy used Cerius descriptors and genetic function approximation QSAR to investigate the structural determinants for the inhibition potency of 24 compounds with the general structure 4 for the NPY Y5 receptor [31]. The best QSAR (H = 0.720,... 

The skin is the largest organ of the human body. One of its most important functions is to assist the immune system by serving as a barrier that protects underlying structures from trauma, infection, and exposure to harmful environmental elements. The skin also holds in place essential organs and fluids necessary for life. Any significant injury to this outer protective layer may potentially compromise an individual s overall health. 

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