
via Medical Xpress
Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago have identified a molecular switch that causes immune cells called macrophages to clean up cellular debris caused by infections instead of contributing to inflammation and tissue injury.
Their findings are reported in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Macrophages are a type of immune cell found throughout the body. These cells can produce inflammation, which is good in moderation because inflammatory signals bring other immune cells to a specific location to clear an infection. However, when inflammation gets out of control, as it can in cases of inflammatory diseases, it can cause excess cellular and tissue damage, contributing to a vicious cycle that is very difficult to reverse. But macrophages also play a significant role in reducing inflammation when they engulf cellular debris or foreign microbes that contribute to inflammation. The mechanism behind macrophages’ ability to switch back and forth between these two diametrically opposed roles has long-puzzled scientists.
Researchers led by Saroj Nepal, research assistant professor in the department of pharmacology at the UIC College of Medicine, have found that a molecule called Gas6 is required to induce macrophages to perform their anti-inflammatory role by engulfing and digesting cellular debris that can contribute to inflammation. The molecule could serve as a potential drug target for drug makers interested in coaxing the cells toward their anti-inflammatory state to help treat people.
In a mouse model of acute lung injury, Nepal and colleagues found that lung macrophages expressed both inflammatory and anti-inflammatory proteins. One of the anti-inflammatory proteins was Gas6. In a mouse model of acute lung injury where the animals’ macrophages were artificially depleted of Gas6, clearance of inflammatory molecules and proteins in the lungs was severely impaired, and the inflammation could not be resolved. When they artificially boosted levels of Gas6 in the mouse macrophages, inflammation was resolved much faster than in mice with normal macrophages.
“Harnessing the anti-inflammatory function of macrophages using the Gas6 switch holds great potential for treating diseases ranging from heart disease to cancer to rheumatoid arthritis, where inflammation is a key underlying feature,” Nepal said.
Learn more: Boosting the anti-inflammatory action of the immune system
The Latest on: Macrophages
via Google News
The Latest on: Macrophages
- Hijacking Host Defenses Gives Bacteria an Advantageon January 25, 2021 at 6:32 am
A metabolic switch in microbe-fighting macrophages signals bacteria to convert them to hotels with amenities Bacteria that ...
- Myeloid Metabolic Crisis May Trigger Cognitive Decline in Aging Brainon January 22, 2021 at 3:14 pm
Myeloid cells are central to age-associated inflammation,” Andreasson told Alzforum. She believes this process affects peripheral organs too, and could suggest therapeutic targets for preventing ...
- A closer look at how immune cells attack and healon January 21, 2021 at 5:03 am
Macrophages—immune cells that both fight infections and fix the damage they cause—are often placed into two categories: those that increase inflammation (known as "M1") to attack, and those that ...
- Daily Rhythms May Impact Our Ability to Fight Disease – Immune System Killer Cells Controlled by Circadian Rhythmson January 20, 2021 at 4:27 am
An analysis of an exhaustive dataset on cells essential to the mammalian immune system shows that our ability to fight disease may rely more heavily on daily circadian cycles than previously assumed.
- The Rab32/BLOC-3–dependent pathway mediates host defense against different pathogens in human macrophageson January 15, 2021 at 11:16 am
Deceased (Please see “In memoriam,” pg. 8). See allHide authors and affiliations Macrophages provide a first line of defense against microorganisms, and while some mechanisms to kill pathogens such as ...
- EGR1 Inhibits Pro-Inflammatory Gene Expression in Macrophageson January 14, 2021 at 3:27 pm
As part of their function to protect the body against pathogens, macrophages play a major role in initiation, maintenance, and resolution of inflammation. The discovery expands the understanding ...
- EGR1 is a gatekeeper of inflammatory enhancers in human macrophageson January 14, 2021 at 3:02 am
See allHide authors and affiliations Monocytes and monocyte-derived macrophages originate through a multistep differentiation process. First, hematopoietic stem cells generate lineage-restricted ...
- New insights into the control of inflammationon January 13, 2021 at 4:13 pm
Scientists discovered that EGR1inhibits expression of pro-inflammatory genes in macrophages. The discovery expands the understanding of how macrophages are set off and deactivated in the inflammatory ...
- EGR1 protein acts as a master regulator of inflammation in macrophages, study suggestson January 13, 2021 at 4:00 pm
As part of their function to protect the body against pathogens, macrophages play a major role in initiation, maintenance, and resolution of inflammation. The discovery expands the understanding ...
- Immune system killer cells controlled by circadian rhythmson January 12, 2021 at 10:04 am
An exhaustive dataset drawn from mammalian macrophage cells establishes that macrophage activity is controlled by circadian timing, and - with a substantial mismatch between oscillating proteins and ...
via Bing News