Chemokines in Disease

Abstract

Edited by Caroline A. Hebert, 330 pp, with illus, Totowa, NJ, Humana Press, 1999.In Chemokines in Disease: Biology and Clinical Research, Dr Hébert and a distinguished group of clinical and experimental investigators provide a novel and comprehensive review of chemokines in disease. The book is organized into 4 main sections, each composed of several well-written chapters.The first section of the book demonstrates an interesting and precise overview of the chemokine and chemokine receptor family, including their sequence homologies, chromosome location, cell targets, and possible disease associations. Fifteen newly described chemokines are then presented in great detail. Finally, the role of in vivo chemokine function is introduced through examination of biological profiles recovered from transgenic and gene knockout mice investigations.The second section of the book thoroughly examines the role of chemokines in various inflammator disorders, including asthma, interstitial lung disease, acute respiratory distress syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, and organ transplant rejection. The role of chemokines in the pathogenesis of these inflammatory diseases is presented through the investigation of chemokine expression in clinical samples and clinically relevant animal models.In the third section, the book addresses the role of chemokines in angiogenesis and wound healing in association with neoplasia. Specifically, the roles of CXC chemokines are thoroughly addressed in non–small cell lung carcinoma and melanoma. Phase I and phase II clinical trial results are then presented for a MIP-1α (macrophage inflammatory protein) analog developed for use as a stem cell protective agent in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy.In the final section of the book, a detailed review of the eminent role of chemokines in viral biology is presented. After discussion of the mimicry of chemokines and their receptors by various viruses, several chapters present an in-depth review of the role of chemokines in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) biology, including their roles in viral tropism, the structure-functional relationships of HIV coreceptors, and the role of chemokine receptors in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome–associated dementia. Finally, potential therapeutic strategies for preventing HIV infection through antagonism of chemokine receptors are reviewed.Overall, this book is a thorough and extremely well-organized review of the chemokine and chemokine receptor family. This book not only is designed as a primer for those readers who are new to the field of chemokine biology, but it also contains the most novel and valuable information for veteran chemokinophiles. If one were looking to purchase but a single specialty text addressing the role of chemokines in disease, this would be the one to choose.