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T Lymphocytes in the Liver
Journal of Hepatology 2000; 32: 175-176 Printed in Denmark . All rights reserved Munksgaard Copenhagen
Copyright 0 European Association for the Study of the Liver 2000
Journal of Hepatology ISSN 0168-8278
Book Reviews Title: Author/Editor Publisher: Number of pages Price: ISBN:
T Lymphocytes in the Liver Edited by I. Nicholas Crispe Wiley-Liss 256 f. 64.50 O-471-19218-x
The liver is generally regarded as the major biochemical factory of the body, of indispensable importance for the metabolization of nutrients, the synthesis of a diverse array of proteins as well as the detoxification and excretion of many substances. Possibly because of these obvious vital functions, the role of the liver as an immunological organ may have been underestimated. Several observations, however, suggest that the role of the liver in the physiology and pathology of the immune system is a very important issue: (i) the liver may be a major site for extrathymic T cell development; (ii) it may play an essential role in the induction of oral tolerance, which again is supposed to be vital for immune tolerance against nutrients; (iii) the “tolerogenic” capacity of the liver makes liver transplantation a very successful procedure and cotransplantation of the liver improves survival of other transplanted organs; (iv) chronic viral and parasitic infections involving the liver, like viral hepatitis and malaria, affect at least 0.5 billion individuals world-wide and it has been suggested that the tolerogenic potential of the liver facilitates chronic infection by these agents; (v) autoimmune diseases of the liver, although relatively rare, are a major burden to the health care system because they frequently affect young people and often lead to long-term morbidity and, eventually, liver transplantation. T Lymphocytes in the Liver, edited by I. Nicholas Crispe, is a monograph dealing with the different aspects of the liver as an immunological organ in health and disease. The first four chapters recapitulate the liver anatomy and the immune cells present in the normal liver. A lot of information from mouse models is provided but careful reading is required to be sure which data are derived from human or murine studies. Some detailed description, of for example T cell activation pathways and $-T-cells, may be redundant for experienced immunologists and too complicated and lengthy for readers without immunological training. Nevertheless, these introductory chapters contain much valuable information and many references, and provide a solid basis for the understanding of the following chapters. The next two chapters deal with the “tolerogenic potential” of the liver, one focussing on the role of the liver in transplantion immunology and the other on oral tolerance. Both chapters provide an excellent and concise review of the field and should also be easy for the non-expert reader to follow. The liver as a target for chronic infectious diseases is highlighted in reviews on chronic viral hepatitis, listeriosis, and malaria. These three reviews are not restricted to intrahepatic lymphocytes but also provide a general picture of the immunobiology of the disease. The chapters are written by experts distinguished in their fields and are valuable to anybody working on chronic infectious diseases. Two chapters in the book discuss autoimmune diseases of the liver and although both reviews are of high quality there is considerable overlap which could have been avoided. Given the fact that most chapters in the book are relatively independent of each other, the final chapter, written by the editor, is extremely helpful. It gives a brief summary of the major points in the individual chapters and finally presents some very stimulating speculations. Overall, the reviews are well written and presented; they contain valuable and up-to-date references. This book gives an inspiring view of the complex role of the liver in the physiology and pathology of the immune system and can be recommended to immunologists, microbiologists, and clinical hepatologists. Obviously the role of the liver as an immunological organ is just beginning to be acknowledged, but from this book it becomes clear that future research in the field may contribute significantly to our understanding of chronic infections and autoimmune diseases. Helmut M. Diepolder, M.D. II. Medical Department Klinikum GroBhadern Munich, Germany
175
Copyright 0 European Association for the Study of the Liver 2000
Journal of Hepatology ISSN 0168-8278
Book Reviews Title: Author/Editor Publisher: Number of pages Price: ISBN:
T Lymphocytes in the Liver Edited by I. Nicholas Crispe Wiley-Liss 256 f. 64.50 O-471-19218-x
The liver is generally regarded as the major biochemical factory of the body, of indispensable importance for the metabolization of nutrients, the synthesis of a diverse array of proteins as well as the detoxification and excretion of many substances. Possibly because of these obvious vital functions, the role of the liver as an immunological organ may have been underestimated. Several observations, however, suggest that the role of the liver in the physiology and pathology of the immune system is a very important issue: (i) the liver may be a major site for extrathymic T cell development; (ii) it may play an essential role in the induction of oral tolerance, which again is supposed to be vital for immune tolerance against nutrients; (iii) the “tolerogenic” capacity of the liver makes liver transplantation a very successful procedure and cotransplantation of the liver improves survival of other transplanted organs; (iv) chronic viral and parasitic infections involving the liver, like viral hepatitis and malaria, affect at least 0.5 billion individuals world-wide and it has been suggested that the tolerogenic potential of the liver facilitates chronic infection by these agents; (v) autoimmune diseases of the liver, although relatively rare, are a major burden to the health care system because they frequently affect young people and often lead to long-term morbidity and, eventually, liver transplantation. T Lymphocytes in the Liver, edited by I. Nicholas Crispe, is a monograph dealing with the different aspects of the liver as an immunological organ in health and disease. The first four chapters recapitulate the liver anatomy and the immune cells present in the normal liver. A lot of information from mouse models is provided but careful reading is required to be sure which data are derived from human or murine studies. Some detailed description, of for example T cell activation pathways and $-T-cells, may be redundant for experienced immunologists and too complicated and lengthy for readers without immunological training. Nevertheless, these introductory chapters contain much valuable information and many references, and provide a solid basis for the understanding of the following chapters. The next two chapters deal with the “tolerogenic potential” of the liver, one focussing on the role of the liver in transplantion immunology and the other on oral tolerance. Both chapters provide an excellent and concise review of the field and should also be easy for the non-expert reader to follow. The liver as a target for chronic infectious diseases is highlighted in reviews on chronic viral hepatitis, listeriosis, and malaria. These three reviews are not restricted to intrahepatic lymphocytes but also provide a general picture of the immunobiology of the disease. The chapters are written by experts distinguished in their fields and are valuable to anybody working on chronic infectious diseases. Two chapters in the book discuss autoimmune diseases of the liver and although both reviews are of high quality there is considerable overlap which could have been avoided. Given the fact that most chapters in the book are relatively independent of each other, the final chapter, written by the editor, is extremely helpful. It gives a brief summary of the major points in the individual chapters and finally presents some very stimulating speculations. Overall, the reviews are well written and presented; they contain valuable and up-to-date references. This book gives an inspiring view of the complex role of the liver in the physiology and pathology of the immune system and can be recommended to immunologists, microbiologists, and clinical hepatologists. Obviously the role of the liver as an immunological organ is just beginning to be acknowledged, but from this book it becomes clear that future research in the field may contribute significantly to our understanding of chronic infections and autoimmune diseases. Helmut M. Diepolder, M.D. II. Medical Department Klinikum GroBhadern Munich, Germany
175