Lupus is a chronic, autoimmune disease that causes inflammation, particularly of the skin, joints, blood, and kidneys. Patients with lupus produce antibodies against their own proteins. Patients also have immune T cells that produce a protein called IL-2, which normally usually protects against infection, at lower than typical levels. In a study appearing in the April 1 print edition of The Journal of Clinical Investigation, George Tsokos and colleagues from the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research explore the mechanisms underlying this decreased IL-2 production.
The researchers find that sera from lupus patients contains antibodies that bind to T cells and activate a complex cellular signaling cascade that ultimately results in decreased IL-2 production. This deficiency in IL-2 could result in the autoantibody production that occurs in lupus.
In an accompanying commentary, Gary Kammer of Arthritis Associates, Inc points out "the contribution by Tsokos and his colleagues…provides a new appreciation and insight into how the microenvironment in lupus can further impinge on a defective T cell to inhibit IL-2 production. From such studies will come the inspiration and novel approaches necessary to develop therapeutic tools to abate disease and improve the quality of life of our patients."
Stacie Bloom | Source: EurekAlert!
Further information: www.the-jci.org/article.php?id=24791
www.the-jci.org
More articles from
Life Sciences:
Genetic Biobanks: Deposits, Withdrawals, and Consumer Protection
21.11.2008 | Genetics and Public Policy Center
Research Consortium to Sequence Turkey Genome
21.11.2008 | Virginia Tech (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University)
Sustainable garden roofs developed as a new construction material
21.11.2008 | Studies and Analyses
Bees declared the winners in Earthwatch’s ‘irreplaceable species’ battle
21.11.2008 | Ecology, The Environment and Conservation
Hairspray is linked to common genital birth defect
21.11.2008 | Studies and Analyses
The Automobile – The Transition from Energy Guzzler to Power Supplier
20.11.2008 | Event News
Ministers meet to define the role of space in delivering global objectives
18.11.2008 | Event News
156th Annual Acoustical Society of America (ASA) Meeting in Miami
28.10.2008 | Event News