Adaptive Immunity – AI

Topics

• Molecular and cellular mechanisms of lymphocyte development, differentiation, activation, homeostasis, and receptors in primary, secondary, and tertiary lymphoid tissues (thymus, bone marrow, fetal liver, lymph nodes, spleen, tonsils, adenoids, bronchus associated lymphoid tissue or BALT, Peyers Patches, gut associated lymphoid tissue or GALT, mucosal associated lymphoid tissue or MALT, nasal associated lymphoid tissue or NALT, peripheral blood, ectopic lymphoid tissue etc.).
• Transcriptional, post-transcriptional and epigenetic gene regulation related to lymphocyte development, activation, differentiation, and function.
• Immune repertoire development and its curation to prevent self-reactivity.
• Primary adaptive immune responses, secondary immune responses, memory formation and memory cell function. 
• Development and function of immune regulatory lymphocytes, such as Treg, Breg, and other cells that have regulatory functions on adaptive immune system
• Inappropriate or dysfunctional fundamental immune responses of lymphoid cells (T and B lymphocytes, lymphoblasts, and plasma cells etc.) i.e. immunodeficiency
• Tissue-specific regulation of adaptive immune responses.
• Metabolism and non-pathogen microbiome related to adaptive immune cell development, differentiation, and function.
• Comparative immunology in non-mammalian systems. 
• Animal and in vitro models of adaptive immunity; non-mammalian models of adaptive immunity.
• Systems biology approaches to understand the activation and regulation of adaptive immune response and signaling.

Shared Interests and Overlaps

There are shared interests with Molecular and Structural Immunology (MSI). Applications that emphasize molecular/structural, biophysical, biochemical, and signaling aspects of immune cells or proteins may be reviewed in MSI, whereas applications that emphasize cellular or intercellular process related to adaptive immune system development, differentiation, function, and molecular mechanisms underlying such biological processes may be reviewed in AI. 

There are shared interests with Innate Immunity A (IIDA (81)). The fundamental cell biology of antigen presentation/processing and the role of myeloid cells in the immune responses, as well as the differentiation and activation of innate-like lymphocytes, may be reviewed in IIDA (81), whereas the impact of antigen presentation on adaptive immune responses, differentiation and activation of B and T lymphocytes, and regulatory functions of myeloid cells on adaptive immune responses may be reviewed in AI.

There are shared interests with Innate Immunity B (IIB). Applications that focus on an integrated innate immune and/or inflammation response to infection or injury may be reviewed in IIB, whereas applications that focus on the impact of the innate immune system on the adaptive immune response may be reviewed in AI.

There are shared interests with Mechanisms of Autoimmunity (MAI) and Immune Mechanisms of Hypersensitivity and Allergy (IMHA). The immunopathologic consequences or failures of immunoregulation that lead to autoimmunity, hypersensitivity and allergy may be reviewed in MAI or IMHA respectively, whereas fundamental processes and functions that pertain to immune system regulation may be reviewed in AI. 

There are shared interests with Immunobiology of Transplantation and Alloimmunity (ITA). The immunoregulatory processes that pertain specifically to clinical settings of transplantation may be reviewed in ITA, whereas fundamental mechanisms underlying immune system function and regulation may be reviewed in AI.

There are shared interests with the Immunity and Host Defense (IHD) study section. Applications focused on a protective adaptive or innate immune response to a specific pathogen may be reviewed in IHD. Applications with a greater focus on the adaptive immune response itself, irrespective of the tissue site, may be reviewed in AI. In addition, applications that use chronic infection models (i. e. LCMV) to mimic antigen stimulation to study immune cell processes such as exhaustion, development and migration may be reviewed in AI.   

There are shared interests with the Bacterial Virulence (BV), Bacterial-Host Interactions (BHI), Viral Pathogenesis and Immunity (VPI), Viral Dynamics and Transmission (VDT), and Pathogenic Eucaryotes (PTHE). Applications associated with infectious disease virulence and pathological outcomes may be reviewed in one of the infectious agent-centric study sections, whereas applications with a greater focus on the adaptive immune response itself may be reviewed in AI.

There are shared interests in age-related changes in the adaptive and innate immune systems with Aging Systems and Geriatrics (ASG). Applications that emphasize age-related geriatric conditions/syndromes involving multi-systems and organs that include an immune component are reviewed in ASG. Applications that emphasize the impact of aging on the mechanistic pathways affecting immune cells and their molecular function (Immune aging) are reviewed in AI.

There are shared interests in mechanisms that regulate immune responses with Cellular Signaling and Regulatory System (CSRS). Applications that emphasize intracellular signaling mechanisms related to propagation and attenuation of immune responses with respect to cellular physiology may be reviewed in CSRS. Applications that emphasize the immunological outcomes may be reviewed in AI.

There are shared interests with the Digestive System Host Defense, Microbial Interactions and Immune and Inflammatory Diseases (DHMI), Clinical Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumors (CNBT), Hepatobiliary Pathophysiology (HBPP), Lung Immunology and Infection (LII), and several study sections within the Endocrine and Metabolic Systems (EMS) branch. Applications addressing impacts of the adaptive immune system on the function and pathology relevant to diseases or disorders of specific organ systems may be reviewed in study sections focusing on those systems. Applications with a greater focus on fundamental aspects of the adaptive immune response may be reviewed in AI.