Researchers have found the molecular pathway which enables receptors within immune cells to spot and mark fragments of pathogens trying to invade a host.
University of British Columbia researchers' discovery of the role played by the molecule CD74 could help immunologists investigate treatments that offer better immune responses against cancers, viruses and bacteria, and lead to more efficient vaccines.
Molecular Pathway and Asthma
Researchers have identified a molecular pathway that leads to increased mucus production and inflammation in patients with asthma.
Advertisement
"This could ultimately lead to a blueprint for improving the performance of a variety of vaccines, including those against HIV, tuberculosis and malaria," said UBC biologist Wilfred Jefferies, whose lab conducted the study.
"This detailed understanding of the role of CD74 may also begin to explain differences in immune responses between individuals that could impact personalized medical options in the future."
![Molecular Pathway Offers Clues Toward New Diabetes Drugs]( "Molecular Pathway Offers Clues Toward New Diabetes Drugs")
Researchers have identified a molecular pathway that offers novel drug targets for diabetes.
CD74 is an important piece of cellular machinery inside dendritic cells - which regulate mammalian primary immune responses.
Dendritic cells possess specialized pathways that enable them to sense and then respond to foreign threats. Until now no one has been able to piece together the circuitry which enables a cellular receptor - Major Histocompatability Class I (MHC I) - inside the cells to find and 'collide' with foreign invaders.
The key finding of this work is the discovery of the guiding role played by CD74 to link MHC I receptors to compartments containing invading pathogens within the immune cell. This sophisticated circuit allows the immune cell to recognize and signal the presence of a pathogen in the body and to alert T immune fighter cells. The T-cells respond by dividing and attacking infected cells, destroying the pathogen.
Jefferies' team used 'knock-out' mice that had been genetically modified to lack the CD74 function to uncover the role of the molecule.
The team, which includes research associate Genc Basha, postdoctoral fellow Anna Reinicke, graduate students Kyla Omilusik and Ana Chavez-Steenbock1, undergraduate student Nathan Lack, and technician Kyung Bok Choi, then confirmed their findings using biochemical analysis.
The study has been published in Nature Immunology.
Source: ANI
Molecular Pathway Offers Clues Toward New Diabetes Drugs
Researchers have identified a molecular pathway that offers novel drug targets for diabetes.
Advertisement
CD74 is an important piece of cellular machinery inside dendritic cells - which regulate mammalian primary immune responses.
Dendritic cells possess specialized pathways that enable them to sense and then respond to foreign threats. Until now no one has been able to piece together the circuitry which enables a cellular receptor - Major Histocompatability Class I (MHC I) - inside the cells to find and 'collide' with foreign invaders.
The key finding of this work is the discovery of the guiding role played by CD74 to link MHC I receptors to compartments containing invading pathogens within the immune cell. This sophisticated circuit allows the immune cell to recognize and signal the presence of a pathogen in the body and to alert T immune fighter cells. The T-cells respond by dividing and attacking infected cells, destroying the pathogen.
Jefferies' team used 'knock-out' mice that had been genetically modified to lack the CD74 function to uncover the role of the molecule.
The team, which includes research associate Genc Basha, postdoctoral fellow Anna Reinicke, graduate students Kyla Omilusik and Ana Chavez-Steenbock1, undergraduate student Nathan Lack, and technician Kyung Bok Choi, then confirmed their findings using biochemical analysis.
The study has been published in Nature Immunology.
Source: ANI
Molecular Pathway Behind Cancer Growth Identified
Molecular pathway responsible for the growth of cancer cells have been identified by researchers.
Advertisement
 Researchers Find Molecular Pathway for Organ Tissue RegenerationA molecular pathway that works through the immune system to regenerate damaged kidney tissues and may lead to new therapies for repairing injury in a number of organs systems has been | Advertisement
|
Advertisement
Recommended Reading
Latest Research News
A group of scientists were awarded £1.3 million to create a new “point of care testing” kit that detects Alzheimer's disease biomarkers.
Is there a connection between Osteoporosis and dementia? Yes, loss in bone density may be linked to an increased risk of dementia in older age.
Link between chromosome length and biological aging marker discovered. The finding helps explain why people with longer telomeres have a lower dementia risk.
Integrated structural biology helps discover how the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) works.
Link between advanced paternal age and higher risks for reproductive and offspring medical problems has been discovered.