AsianScientist (Apr. 8, 2014) – Scientists have discovered a molecule that may lead to new therapies for immune disorders or inflammation. The research was published in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology.
“We hope that our findings provide better understanding of immune regulation, which might give new insights into identifying new targets for immunotherapies,” said Dr. Young Chul Sung, a researcher involved in the work from the Division of Integrative Bioscience and Biotechnology at the Pohang University of Science and Technology in Pohang, Korea.
To make this discovery, scientists conducted a study on two groups of mice. One group was bred to lack PD-1, a molecule believed to induce dendritic cell apoptosis. The second group consisted of normal, or wild-type, mice. Dendritic cells obtained from the spleens of both groups of mice were activated in vivo and in vitro, and the levels of cell death were determined by flow cytometry.
Significantly lower apoptosis was found in the mice lacking the molecule necessary to induce cell death when compared to their counterparts.
“Dendritic cells are the essential inducers of immune responses and sense the need to activate many other immune cascades, but sometimes these cells get it wrong,” said Dr. John Wherry, deputy editor of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology.
“Understanding how one might selectively induce cell death in dendritic cells may reveal novel opportunities to eliminate these key orchestrators of immune responses in pathogenic settings such as autoimmunity or inflammatory diseases.”
The article can be found at: Park et al. (2014) Negative Role Of Inducible PD-1 On Survival Of Activated Dendritic Cells.
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Source: Journal of Leukocyte Biology; Photo: NIAID/Flickr/CC.
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