Abstract
During the early 1980s, a small group of Immunologists met at the first Human Leukocyte Differentiation Antigen (HLDA) workshop to standardize monoclonal antibodies raised against human leukocyte surface molecules and to develop an understanding of the structure and function of these molecules. A major result of this effort was the development of the CD nomenclature which is used almost universally today. To date, six additional HLDA meetings have been held and now a bewildering array of almost 400 CD markers has been described. The new book “Leukocyte and Stromal Cell Molecules…the CD Markers” by Zola, Swart, Nicholson and Voss is an essential text for Pathologists and Immunologists alike who are struggling to keep track of this ever-expanding universe of leukocyte surface determinants.
After briefly reviewing the history of the HLDA efforts and providing a high-level overview of surface protein structure and function in the first chapter, the authors launch into an all-out effort to distill the universe of CD marker information into a format that is useful for the rest of us. Molecules are conveniently indexed by both the assigned CD number and common aliases. Starting with CD1, the authors march through all 350 molecules, providing a succinct and digestible summary of each. Summaries follow the same format, including a schematic diagram of the molecule, which illustrates important domains and structural motifs as well as glycosylation sites. This is followed by a brief discussion of the molecular structure, function, expression pattern, the Entrez gene accession number and name, and selected monoclonal antibodies against the human version of the molecule.
The authors also devote an entire chapter to web-based CD marker information, thus allowing the reader to collect the most up-to-date information about his or her favorite molecule. Using the cited databases in the chapter, it is possible to identify orthologous molecules in other species, perform sequence comparisons and identify conserved domains, identify likely glycosylation sites, obtain current expression data and more. Thus, even though this book is focused on human molecules, it provides a well-organized base from which your research in other species can expand.
The only minor deficiency is that in an effort to streamline the summaries, the authors have decided not to list the references from which the information was obtained. However, verification of the published data in the text, updated information about each molecule and complete references are only a mouse click away within the cited databases. This book will be a welcome addition to your library.