Carl W. Pierce

Susan E. Cullen

Judith A. Kapp

Benjamin D. Schwartz

Donald C. Shreffler

The Fifth Ir Gene Workshop was held at the Chase-Park Plaza Hotel, St. Louis, MO, August 28-31, 1982; 240 scientists participated in the Workshop. The man uscripts compiled in this book describe the state of the art concerning Ir genes. Although the notion of Ir Genes: Past, Present, and Future has not been ad dressed specifically by each author, the reader is certain to get this flavor from the contributions. In this Preface, we have tried to summarize some of the salient ob servations and discussions from the Workshop. The mUltiple genes of the I region have been defined traditionally by serolog ical analysis of intra-H-2 recombinant mice and the pattern of immune responses to certain antigens developed by these recombinant mice. The application of sev eral new techniques, such as gene cloning and DNA sequencing, production of T and B cell hybridomas, and development of cloned T cell lines has changed this tradition and introduced a new phase into the analysis of the I region, Ia antigens, and Ir genes.

Past, Present, and Future

Ir Genes

Stanley Cohen

David R. Webb

The Fifth International Lymphokine Workshop was convened in Clearwater Beach, Florida, January 11-15, 1987. The theme chosen for the meeting was 'The Molecular Basis of Lymphokine Action," which reflected the opinion of the organizers as to how far the field had moved since the first Lymphokine Workshop only eleven years ago. As was evident at the last Lymphokine Workshop held in 1985, the contribution of molecular biology, particularly in the cloning of lymphokine genes, continues to play an important role in clarifying the structure of lymphokines, providing recombinant (read "pure") proteins for biological studies, and suggesting directions for studies of the molecular basis of lymphokine activity. The most recent lymphokines to yield to molecular cloning meth odology were the B-cell growth and differentiation factors, in partic ular BSF-1 or, as it is sometimes termed, interleukin 4. One of the surprises from this research is the broad spectrum of activities that can be attributed to this molecule, aside from its effects on B-cells, thus perhaps justifying its being called an interleukin. The interleukin 2 symposium demonstrated that even in a well-established research area, controversy and excitement can continue, when evidence was presented by several investigators indicating the presence of a second "converter" protein that changes the affinity of the now classical Tac antigen from a low to a high affinity IL-2 receptor.

Molecular Basis of Lymphokine Action

Carl W. Pierce

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