The role of the cytokine macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) in the immune response and in the immunopathogenesis of different inflammatory, autoimmune, and infectious disorders is now well-established. Recent studies continue to broaden considerably the role of MIF in both normal physiology and pathology, which range from such diverse areas as oncogenesis, metabolism, and cellular stress responses. MIF´s molecular mechanism of action in these contexts is becoming increasingly understood and the role of variant MIF alleles in different conditions continues to be defined. New family members, such as D-dopachrome tautomerase, or MIF-2, and the closely homologous genes encoding by parasites have been defined and are being functionally characterized. MIF directed therapies also are entering clinical testing and ultimately may be applied in a pharmacogenomics manner. This book provides a comprehensive synthesis of the state-of-the-art of MIF science. The intended audience are post-graduate students and researchers in inflammation, innate immunity, immunology, and immunopathology.
