Cell receptor has proclivity for T helper 9 cells, airway inflammation
A research team led by Xian Chang Li, MD, PhD, Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) Transplantation Research Center, has shed light on how a population of lymphocytes, called CD4+ T cells, mature into various subsets of adult T helper cells.
In particular, the team uncovered that a particular cell surface molecule, known as OX40, is a powerful inducer of new T helper cells that make copious amounts of interleukin-9 (IL-9) (and therefore called TH9 cells) in vitro; such TH9 cells are responsible for ongoing inflammation in the airways in the lungs in vivo.
The study will be published online in Nature Immunology on July 29, 2012.
In their studies, the researchers found that mice with hyper-active OX40 activities had signs of tissue inflammation, particularly in tissues lining the airway. A high amount of cellsas much as 30 percentin these tissues were mucin-producing cells. Mucin-producing cells produce gel-like secretions that, when combined with other secretions, can form mucus or saliva.
The results mirrored previous studies of mice who over expressed IL-9 in the lung airways. Results from additional experiments confirmed that OX40 triggers both TH9 cell and IL-9 production, thereby leading to airway inflammation.
"These findings may have broad impact on how to treat chronic inflammation, such as allergic inflammation and chronic allograft rejection after transplantation, since the inflammatory texture organized by TH9 cells tends to be different and ongoing." said Li.
In addition to this translational finding, Li and his team made strides in better understanding OX40's role in the molecular mechanisms of the pathway responsible for TH9 cell induction.
According to Li, the revelation that OX40 promotes TH9 cells through TRAF6 (a protein that mediates cell signaling) and the activation of a non-canonical NF-kB pathway will point to new opportunities in drug discovery and development in treatment of TH9-related diseases.
Journal reference:
Nature Immunology
Provided by
Brigham and Women's Hospital
-
Scientists find molecule in immune system that could help treat dangerous skin cancer
Jul 08, 2012 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Teasing apart T helper cells
Jul 27, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Strengthening the tumor-fighting ability of T cells
Mar 24, 2008 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Study discovers new targets for treating inflammatory, autoimmune diseases
Oct 07, 2011 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Transcription factor regulates protein that dampens immune responses
Jun 17, 2011 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Motion perception revisited: High Phi effect challenges established motion perception assumptions
Apr 23, 2013 |
3 / 5 (2) |
2
-
Anything you can do I can do better: Neuromolecular foundations of the superiority illusion (Update)
Apr 02, 2013 |
4.5 / 5 (11) |
5
-
The visual system as economist: Neural resource allocation in visual adaptation
Mar 30, 2013 |
5 / 5 (2) |
9
-
Separate lives: Neuronal and organismal lifespans decoupled
Mar 27, 2013 |
4.9 / 5 (8) |
0
-
Sizing things up: The evolutionary neurobiology of scale invariance
Feb 28, 2013 |
4.8 / 5 (10) |
14
-
I need help understanding the Fourier components of a square wave
1 hour ago
-
flow of current through zero potential difference
2 hours ago
-
Absorption of light by spherical nanoparticle
5 hours ago
-
Solvability of a circuit
9 hours ago
-
Question about perception of colors around light sources
13 hours ago
-
Does a charged particle rotate when traveling through a static Bf?
14 hours ago
- More from Physics Forums - Classical Physics
More news stories
Stem-cell-based strategy boosts immune system in mice
Raising hopes for cell-based therapies, UC San Francisco researchers have created the first functioning human thymus tissue from embryonic stem cells in the laboratory. The researchers showed that, in mice, ...
Immunology
May 16, 2013 |
4.8 / 5 (5) |
0
|
Resistance to visceral leishmaniasis: New mechanisms involved
Researchers from CNRS, Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier and IRD have elucidated new molecular mechanisms involved in resistance to visceral leishmaniasis, a serious parasitic infection. They have shown that dectin-1 ...
Immunology
May 16, 2013 |
not rated yet |
0
Women's immune systems remain younger for longer
Women's immune systems age more slowly than men's, suggests research in BioMed Central's open access journal Immunity & Ageing. The slower decline in a woman's immune system may contribute to women living longer than men. ...
Immunology
May 14, 2013 |
not rated yet |
0
Newly described type of immune cell and T cells share similar path to maturity, according to new study
(Medical Xpress)—Labs around the world, and a core group at Penn, have been studying recently described populations of immune cells called innate lymphoid cells (ILCs). Some researchers liken them to foot soldiers that ...
Immunology
May 14, 2013 |
5 / 5 (3) |
0
|
Not all cytokine-producing cells start out the same way, study finds
(Medical Xpress)—Cytokines are molecules produced by immune cells that induce the migration of other cells to sites of infection or injury, promote the production of anti-microbial agents, and signal the production of inflammatory ...
Immunology
May 13, 2013 |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
|
US adviser on board of firm that sold anthrax drug
(AP)—Former Navy Secretary Richard J. Danzig, who has served as a bio-warfare adviser to the president, the Pentagon, and the Department of Homeland Security, urged the government to stockpile an anti-anthrax drug while ...
Consumer group flags high SPF ratings on sunscreen
(AP)—Sunbathers this summer will find new sunscreen labels that are designed to make the products more effective and easier to use.
Treatment of sleep apnea improves glucose levels in prediabetes
Optimal treatment of sleep apnea in patients with prediabetes improves blood sugar (glucose) levels and thus can reduce cardiometabolic risk, according to a study to be presented at the ATS 2013 International Conference in ...
Whole-cell vaccine was more effective than acellular vaccine during CA pertussis outbreak
Whole-cell pertussis vaccines were more effective at protecting against pertussis than acellular pertussis vaccines during a large recent outbreak, according to a new Kaiser Permanente study published in Pediatrics.
Blame your parents for bunion woes
A novel study reports that white men and women of European descent inherit common foot disorders, such as bunions (hallux valgus) and lesser toe deformities, including hammer or claw toe. Findings from the Framingham Foot ...
Genetic diversity within tumors predicts outcome in head and neck cancer
A new measure of the heterogeneity – the variety of genetic mutations – of cells within a tumor appears to predict treatment outcomes of patients with the most common type of head and neck cancer. In the May 20 issue ...