Abstract
Commensurate with the growing knowledge base on cytokines, chemokines, and their receptors, this fourth edition of The Cytokine Handbook has added a coeditor, has been split into two volumes, and has been expanded to include color plates and separate chapters on clinical applications. Written for research immunologists; pathologists; cell, molecular, and cancer biologists; biochemists; clinicians; and clinical researchers, these volumes are better organized than previous editions. However, compared to the third edition, this edition lacks some of the comparative biology of mammalian immunoregulatory molecules. For instance, it is difficult to find information on cytokine knockout and transgenic mice for most of the cytokines discussed. The material is variably reported in subsections on biologic effects, receptors, and models of disease or may instead be found in the chapters on clinical applications. Also, these models are not consistently indexed. The difficulty in finding and the apparent loss of this material on preclinical models now make this handbook less valuable to veterinary immunologists and pathologists.
The early chapters in volume 1 discuss the basic biology of cytokines and include an introduction to nomenclature and family groupings, genetics, phylogeny, and signaling. The chapter on genetics provides a nice tabulation of polymorphisms and disease associations. The chapter on cytokine signaling is limited in scope, apparently by intent. The author directs readers to external reviews for information on other signaling cascades related to the main transduction proteins. However, most of the target readers would be better served by seeking a recent review on all of these signaling protein interactions. Information on cytokine-specific signaling is found in individual chapters. Many of these chapters contain basic figures or have associated color plates showing immunoregulatory interactions that are more easily understood than the information contained in the overview chapter on cytokine signaling.
Subsequent chapters in volume 1 and the majority of the chapters in volume 2 discuss individual cytokines, chemokines, and receptors, using family associations where appropriate. Chapter contents follow a general sequence of introduction, gene or molecular structure, receptors and signaling, biologic and pathophysiologic relationships, and conclusions that generally provides a concise review. Each chapter is somewhat variable in pattern, and consistent subtitles and content would make it easier to navigate between them. The tables of nomenclature for the cytokines and their receptors are one of the most valuable components of many of these chapters. Color plates are excellent supplementary material to the text on the structure, signaling, and biology of cytokines. The final chapters in volume 2 discuss the application of cytokines in common clinical indications, cytokine gene transfer, antisense therapy, and assay systems. There is duplication of some material on biologic activity between these chapters and the chapters on individual molecules. Additionally, many disease relationships and potential therapeutic indications are found only in the cytokine-specific chapters rather than in those on clinical applications. Most of the clinical chapters focus on specific therapeutic indications and include concise introductions to cytokines in the pathobiology of autoimmunity, cancer, angiogenesis, transplantation, and asthma. The chapters on autoimmunity, interferon-α for chronic viral hepatitis, hematopoietic cytokines, and anti-sense therapy are the most comprehensive and relevant to researchers in cytokine therapeutics. These chapters also contain information on the adverse effects of cytokine therapy, which is sketchy in the other chapters. The final chapter provides a very general introduction to assays for cytokines.
Overall, this type of handbook is on the verge of losing its utility as a textbook for the office shelf. Printing the contents of each volume on the spine would make selection of the appropriate volume from a bookshelf much easier. The biology of immunoregulatory molecules is a rapidly changing field, and the delay required for physical publication is reflected by the infrequency of citations after 2000. The increase in the volume of material, organization into family groupings, variation in chapter format, overlapping content, and inconsistent indexing make it difficult to find some material in this handbook quickly. For these reasons, I would have found a searchable CD-ROM format to be more valuable. This handbook is a useful general resource for most of the target audience. However, the Elsevier publishing group offers an expansive Cytokine Reference with on-line updates edited by J. Oppenheim and a quick reference, The Cytokine Factsbook and Webfacts, edited by K. Fitzgerald that will better serve the needs of full-time researchers and libraries of biopharmaceutical companies interested in cytokines.