E3 ligase An enzymatic activity that directs the transfer of a ubiquitin molecule from an E2 ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme onto a specific protein target.
early-onset sarcoidosis Disease associated with activating NOD2 mutations characterized by inﬂammation in tissues such as liver.
early pro-B cell See pro-B cells.
EBI2 (GPR183) A chemokine receptor that binds oxysterols and regulates B-cell movement to the outer follicular and interfollicular regions during early phases of B-cell activation in lymphoid tissues.
E-cadherin Integrin expressed by epithelial cells important in forming the adherens junctions between adjacent cells.
edema   Swelling caused by the entry of ﬂuid and cells from the blood into the tissues; it is one of the cardinal features of inﬂammation.
effector caspases Intracellular proteases that are activated as a result of an apoptotic signal and mediate the cellular changes associated with apoptosis. To be distinguished from initiator caspases, which act upstream of effector caspases to initiate the caspase cascade.
effector CD4 T cells The subset of differentiated effector T cells carrying the CD4 co-receptor molecule, which includes the TH1, TH2, TH17, and regulatory T cells.
effector lymphocytes The cells that differentiate from naive lymphocytes after initial activation by antigen and can then mediate the removal of pathogens from the body without further differentiation. They are distinct from memory lymphocytes, which must undergo further differentiation to become effector lymphocytes.
effector mechanisms Those processes by which pathogens are destroyed and cleared from the body. Innate and adaptive immune responses use most of the same effector mechanisms to eliminate pathogens.
effector memory T cells (TEM)   Memory lymphocytes that recirculate between blood and peripheral tissues and are specialized for rapid maturation into effector T cells after restimulation with antigen in non-lymphoid tissues.
effector modules This term refers to a set of immune mechanisms, either cell-mediated and humoral, innate or adaptive, that act together in the elimination of a particular category of pathogen.
effector T lymphocytes The T cells that perform the functions of an immune response, such as cell killing and cell activation, that clear the infectious agent from the body. There are several different subsets, each with a specific role in an immune response.
electrostatic interactions Chemical interaction occurring between charged atoms, as in the charged amino acid side chains and an ion in a salt bridge.
elimination phase Stage of anti-tumor immune response that detects and eliminates cancer cells, also called immune surveillance.
elite controllers A subset of HIV-infected long-term non-progressors who have clinically undetectable levels of virus without antiretroviral therapy.
ELL2 A transcription elongation factor that favors the polyadenylation at pAS leading to the secreted form of IgM.
endocrine Describes the action of a biologically active molecule such as a hormone or cytokine that is secreted by one tissue into the blood and acts on a distant tissue. Cf. autocrine, paracrine.
endogenous pyrogens Cytokines that can induce a rise in body temperature.
endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidase associated with antigen processing (ERAAP) Enzyme in the endoplasmic reticulum that trims polypeptides to a size at which they can bind to MHC class I molecules.
A system of enzymes in the endoplasmic reticulum that recognizes incompletely or misfolded proteins and assures their eventual degradation.
endosteum The region in bone marrow adjacent to the inner surface of the bone; hematopoietic stem cells are initially located there.
endothelial activation The changes that occur in the endothelial walls of small blood vessels as a result of inﬂammation, such as increased permeability and the increased production of cell-adhesion molecules and cytokines.