“In this
study in mice, the Bach2 gene was found to be a critical regulator of the
immune system's reactivity…. One of the hallmarks of uncontrolled immune
responses is excessive tissue inflammation. Although tissue inflammation is a
normal part of immune responses, excessive inflammation can lead to tissue and
organ damage and may be potentially lethal. How CD4+T cells become either
activating/inflammatory or regulatory is not well understood, according to the
researchers.
"We
found that the Bach2 gene played a key role in regulating the switch between
inflammatory and regulatory cells in mice," said NIAMS researcher Kiyoshi
Hirahara, M.D. "The loss of the Bach2 gene in CD4+ T cells caused them to
become inflammatory, even in situations that would normally result in the
formation of protective regulatory cells."
The team
found that if mice lacked the Bach2 gene their cells became inflammatory and
the mice died of autoimmune diseases within the first few months of life. When
they re-inserted Bach2 (using gene therapy) into Bach2-deficient cells, their
ability to produce regulatory cells was restored.
Restifo suggests that these findings have implications
for cancer as well, since cancers co-opt regulatory T cells to prevent their
own destruction by antitumor immune responses. He and his colleagues are now
working toward manipulating the activity of the Bach2 gene, with the goal of
developing a new cancer immunotherapy. Also, as this study was in mice, it must
be replicated in humans before its findings can be applied in a clinical
setting.”
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