Mouse Models of Allergic Disease, 2013 Methods and Protocols Methods in Molecular Biology Series, Vol. 1032

Over the last half century, a dramatic increase in allergic diseases has been observed throughout industrialized nations, which has resulted in significant worldwide socio-economic challenges. In Mouse Models of Allergic Disease: Methods and Protocols, a wide range of expert contributors provide detailed protocols for the design and execution of experiments to thoroughly analyze critical elements associated with a diverse range of allergic diseases, all through the lens of mouse models that accurately recapitulate clinically relevant aspects of the respective human disease.  The volume opens with a section featuring techniques essential for effective ex vivo cell isolation and evaluation of specific cell types relevant to a diverse range of allergic diseases, and the book then moves on to cover in vivo protocols to evaluate prevalent mouse models of human allergic diseases, including mouse models of systemic anaphylaxis, contact hypersensitivity, allergic rhinitis, and asthma, as well as a collection of chapters on in vivo and ex vivo protocols used to assess indirect mediators of allergic diseases, such as the nervous system, non-hematopoietic cells, and the composition of the gut microbiome.  Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls.

Transgenic Mouse Models.- Pulmonary Antigen Presenting Cells: Isolation, Purification, and Culture.- Evaluation of T Cell Function in Allergic Disease.- Evaluating B-Cells: From Bone Marrow Precursors to Antibody Producing Cells.- Protocols for Identifying, Enumerating and Assessing Mouse Eosinophils.- Evaluation of Classical, Alternative, and Regulatory Functions of Bone Marrow-Derived Macrophages.- Applications of Mouse Airway Epithelial Cell Culture for Asthma Research.- Isolation and Characterization of Mast Cells in Mouse Models of Allergic Diseases.- Purifying and Measuring Immunoglobulin E (IgE) and Anti-IgE.- Protocols for the Induction and Evaluation of Systemic Anaphylaxis in Mice.- Contact Hypersensitivity Models in Mice.- Induction of Allergic Rhinitis in Mice.- Induction of Allergic Airway Disease Using House Dust Mite Allergen.- An Inhalation Model of Allergic Fungal Asthma: Aspergillus fumigatus-Induced Inflammation and Remodeling in Allergic Airways Disease.- PAMPs and DAMPs in Allergy Exacerbation Models.- Assessment of Airway Hyperresponsiveness in Mouse Models of Allergic Lung Disease Using Detailed Measurements of Respiratory Mechanics.- Bilateral Vagotomy as a Tool for Determining Autonomic Involvement in Airway Responses in Mouse Models of Asthma.- Clara Epithelial Cell Depletion in the Lung.- A Mouse Model for Evaluating the Contribution of Fibrocytes and Myofibroblasts to Airway Remodeling in Allergic Asthma.- Assessment of Airway Hyperresponsiveness in Murine Tracheal Rings.- Use of the Cockroach Antigen Model of Acute Asthma to Determine the Immunomodulatory Role of Early Exposure to Gastrointestinal Infection.- Expression Profiling to Identify Candidate Genes Associated with Allergic Phenotypes.- Flow Cytometric Methods for the Assessment of Allergic Disease.- Generation of Bone Marrow and Fetal Liver Chimeric Mice.