This book is a printed edition of the Special Issue "Regulation of Chemokine-Receptor Interactions and Functions" that was published in IJMS

Recent studies have provided clear evidence on the role of neural-immune interactions in normal brain function and neuropathological conditions. Neuroimmune factors, which play an essential role in neuroinflammatory response, have been implicated in the regulation of neuronal function and plasticity. Thus, neural-immune interactions provide a new frame work for understanding the role of the neuroimmune system in normal brain function, neurodevelopment, and a variety of neurological disorders. These advances have a far reaching impact on many areas of neuroscience, including alcohol research. Studies using human alcoholic brains, gene knockout mice, and gene expression profiling have established a clear link between alcoholism and an altered neuroimmune profile. This book integrates emerging knowledge on neural-immune interactions with key discoveries in alcohol research and provides a comprehensive overview of neural-immune interactions in brain function and behavior associated with alcohol use disorders. While Neural–Immune Interaction in Brain Function and Alcohol Related Disorders focuses on neural-immune interactions in areas directly related to alcohol use disorders, it is not intended to be all inclusive. Several areas, including sleep disorders, pain, and cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathways, are not covered as independent chapters but briefly mentioned in the text. The close relevance of these topics to neural-immune interactions and alcohol use disorders warrants future discussion and more research efforts.

Provides a comprehensive overview of recent discoveries and current understandings of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). Recent advances include the first mammalian non-rhodopsin GPCR structures and reconstitution of purified GPCRs into membrane discs for defined studies, novel signaling features including oligomerization, and advances in understanding the complex ligand pharmacology and physiology of GPCRs, in new assay technologies and drug targeting. The authors take time to detail the importance of the pathophysiological function and drug targeting of GPCRs, specifically β-adrenoceptors in cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, metabotropic glutamate receptors in CNS disorders, S1P receptors in the immune system, and Wnt/Frizzled receptors in osteoporosis. This book will be invaluable to researchers and graduate students in academia and industry who are interested in the GPCR field.

Chemokine Receptors and NeuroAIDS: Beyond the Co-receptor Function and Links to Other Neuropathologies focuses on unresolved or emerging issues concerning the role of chemokine receptors in neuronal injury and HIV neuropathology, including their ability to regulate fundamental neuronal and glial functions and their role in neurovirulence and neurotoxicity. Although the importance of these molecules in the CNS physiology and pathology is now apparent, these issues are still matter of debate, and further research is required to design effective pharmacological agents that specifically target the brain chemokine system without major side effects. To this end, specific topics have been selected and are reviewed by international experts within the basic science/medical community. This book encourages investigation in the most controversial areas and fosters interaction between clinicians and basic scientists. The book also increases awareness about differences in disease progression among different parts of the world as well as selected patient populations, which may also help identifying novel therapeutic strategies.

This eBook is a collection of articles from a Frontiers Research Topic. Frontiers Research Topics are very popular trademarks of the Frontiers Journals Series: they are collections of at least ten articles, all centered on a particular subject. With their unique mix of varied contributions from Original Research to Review Articles, Frontiers Research Topics unify the most influential researchers, the latest key findings and historical advances in a hot research area! Find out more on how to host your own Frontiers Research Topic or contribute to one as an author by contacting the Frontiers Editorial Office: frontiersin.org/about/contact.

This book is a printed edition of the Special Issue "Glycosaminoglycans and Proteoglycans" that was published in Pharmaceuticals

Inflammation is a fundamental protective mechanism and at the same time the driving force of a variety of major diseases in humans. Indeed, acute self-resolving inflammation usually plays a positive role for the host, as exemplified by infectious diseases where its positive role is well established and testified by its perception as innate immunity. On the other hand, non-resolving inflammation and consequent chronicization is a key determinant of immunopathology and clinical manifestations of most major diseases in humans. As a consequence, it is increasing appreciated that the problem with inflammation is not how often it starts, but how often it fails to resolve. Appropriate resolution of inflammatory responses, which also drives activation of tissue damage repair mechanisms and return of local tissues to homeostasis, is a necessary process for ongoing health. Interestingly, cells sustaining these processes are also key to the proinflammatory responses, and the underlying “pro-resolving” molecular pathways are triggered as part of the pro-inflammatory response. This clearly indicates resolution of inflammation as an active process requiring functional repolarization of inflammatory cells that calls our attention on the underlying molecular mechanisms. The increasing number of anti-inflammatory drugs best-sellers in the pharma market is a clear indication of the relevance of having inflammation under check; nonetheless, there is still a great need for better acting pharmacological tools for the control of inflammation. Indeed, the remarkable success of biological drugs targeting proinflammatory cytokines has indicates that tools able to block proinflammatory mediators have promising applications, but at the same time has made clear that there are intrinsic limitations to this approach which frequently vanish undermine the activity of single targeting drugs, including the well-known redundancy of inflammatory mediators. Under self-limiting conditions inflammation spontaneously resolves in an active process. Some cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in inflammation resolution have been uncovered in the recent past, and include generation of specific cytokines, apoptosis of inflammatory leukocytes, lipid mediators, macrophage repolarization and others are likely to be revealed in the next future, since loss-of-function mutations of an increasing number of genes results in the development of spontaneous inflammation in experimental animals. We argue that “pushing for“ inflammation resolution by exploiting active naturally-occurring pro-resolving processes may have significant advantages over the attempt to simply “push back” inflammation by passive blockade of proinflammatory mediators. At present the research in the field of inflammation aims at identifying and validates new molecules involved in the resolution of inflammation as a basis for the development of innovative therapeutic strategies in chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. This involves the discovery of new natural or synthetic “pro-resolving” molecules from plant and animals and the investigation of endogenous inflammation “pro-resolving” mechanisms, including atypical chemokine receptors, decoy receptors, and microRNA. An extensive effort is focused on the regulation by “pro-resolving” agents on two molecular systems of key relevance in inflammation: the chemokine system, which regulates recruitment, permanence and egress of leukocyte in tissues; and the Toll Like Receptor (TLR)/IL-1R system, which is central for the activation of infiltrating leukocytes.

Advances in Immunology presents current developments as well as comprehensive reviews in immunology. Articles address the wide range of topics that constitue immunology, including molecular and cellular activation mechanisms, phylogeny and molecular evolution, and clinical modalities. Edited and authored by the foremost scientists in the field, each volume provides up-to-date information and directions for future research.Immunology is vital to the understanding of infection and disease. Application of this information may lead to resistance and cures for higher animals and humans.