Abstract

This large annual immunology meeting covered a wide range of subjects from biochemical protein characterizations to cell biology and the study of complex disease pathologies. One particularly interesting session covered the emerging field of non-classical major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules. A great deal of attention is now focused on defining the expression, structure and ligands of these proteins, as recent research has indicated that they are involved in both innate and adaptive immunological responses. Heat shock proteins are another group of molecules that appear to have a wide range of immunostimulatory and regulatory effects; a one-day session covered recent advances in our understanding of the immunological roles of heat shock proteins as well as their potential therapeutic uses. Moving on from individual protein families, speakers in the plenary session discussed the complex dynamics of lymphocyte activation, cell-cell interactions and protein translocation.