Surface Receptors in the Immune Response

CELLULAR membranes are not simply elaborately constructed containers of cytoplasmic organelles. Rather, the cell surface interface is a complex, highly mobile structure that functions in recognizing certain extra-cellular materials and in transmitting information generated by their recognition to subcellular organelles. Cell-surface characteristics of lymphocytes and monocytes determine the ways in which foreign materials are recognized and dealt with by the immune system as well as the manner in which a normal immune response to these materials is generated. It is the property of mast cells binding molecules of IgE immunoglobulins having specificity for certain antigens that causes release of vasoactive . . .