Aims & Scope
Core Research Domains
Cytokine Molecular Biology
- Gene regulation and transcriptional control of cytokine expression
- Post-transcriptional modifications and mRNA stability
- Protein structure, folding, and biochemical properties
- Cytokine gene polymorphisms and genetic variants
- Epigenetic regulation of cytokine genes
- Molecular mechanisms of cytokine production
Signaling Pathways & Receptors
- Cytokine receptor structure and binding kinetics
- Signal transduction cascades (JAK-STAT, MAPK, NF-κB)
- Protein-protein interactions in signaling complexes
- Receptor dimerization and oligomerization mechanisms
- Downstream effector molecule activation
- Negative feedback regulation and signal termination
Cellular Mechanisms & Immune Cell Biology
- Cytokine effects on immune cell differentiation and development
- Macrophage polarization and activation states
- Dendritic cell maturation and antigen presentation
- Natural killer cell cytotoxicity mechanisms
- T cell and B cell receptor signaling integration
- Cellular responses to cytokine stimulation at molecular level
Chemokines & Cytokine Networks
- Chemokine receptor signaling and G-protein coupling
- Chemotaxis molecular mechanisms and gradient sensing
- Cytokine-chemokine crosstalk and network interactions
- Interleukin family member interactions and redundancy
- Cytokine synergy and antagonism at molecular level
- Regulatory cytokine balance and homeostatic mechanisms
Secondary Focus Areas
Omics Approaches
Genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics studies of cytokine systems and immune cell populations
Computational Biology
Machine learning models, network analysis, and computational predictions of cytokine interactions and signaling dynamics
Structural Biology
Crystal structures, cryo-EM, NMR spectroscopy, and molecular dynamics simulations of cytokines and receptors
Innate Immunity Mechanisms
Pattern recognition receptors, inflammasome activation, and cytokine production in innate immune responses
Microbiota Interactions
Molecular mechanisms of microbiome-immune system crosstalk and microbial modulation of cytokine expression
Mucosal Immunology
Cytokine signaling in mucosal tissues, barrier function regulation, and local immune responses at molecular level
Explicitly Out of Scope
Clinical Outcomes Research
Patient survival rates, treatment efficacy studies, clinical trial results, disease progression monitoring, and therapeutic response assessments belong in clinical journals.
Diagnostic Method Development
Clinical diagnostic assays, biomarker validation for patient screening, point-of-care testing devices, and diagnostic algorithm development are outside our molecular focus.
Epidemiological Studies
Population-level disease incidence, risk factor analysis, public health interventions, and epidemiological modeling lack the molecular mechanistic focus we require.
Clinical Case Reports
Individual patient cases, case series, and clinical observations without molecular investigation do not meet our basic science criteria.
Pharmaceutical Formulation
Drug delivery systems, pharmaceutical manufacturing, formulation optimization, and pharmacokinetic studies without molecular mechanism insights are not suitable.
Article Types & Editorial Priorities
Fast-Track Review (14-21 days to first decision)
Standard Review (28-35 days to first decision)
Requires Strong Justification
Editorial Standards & Requirements
Reporting Guidelines
All submissions must follow appropriate reporting standards
Open Data Policy
Raw data, code, and materials must be made publicly available
Ethics Compliance
IRB/IACUC approval required for all human and animal studies
Preprint Friendly
We welcome submissions previously posted on preprint servers
- ARRIVE 2.0
- MIQE
- MIAME
- STROBE
- PRISMA
- CONSORT
