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LabChat:BoostingtheimmunesystembygivingTcellsapush
By:MeganThielking|Tuesday,July5,2016
ACLOSE-UPLOOKATHUMANTONSILS,WITHACTIVINA(INRED)MOREPLENTIFULINAREASWITHT
LYMPHOCYTES(INGREEN).(LAJOLLAINSTITUTEFORALLERGYANDIMMUNOLOGY)
Scientistshavediscoveredawaytopotentiallycreatestronger,morerobust
vaccinesbyhijackinganewlydiscoveredsignalingproteinthathelpscertain
immunecellsgrow.Manyvaccinesworkbygettingthebody’santibodiesto
respond,andimmunecellscalledTfh,orTfollicularhelpercells,arekeytothat
process.Here’swhatShaneCrottyoftheLaJollaInstitutetoldmeaboutthefindings,
publishedinNatureImmunology.
WhatroledoTcellsplayinproducingantibodies?
Bcellsmakeantibodies,buttheydon'tdoitontheirown.Formostantibody
responsestoinfections,BcellsrequirehelpeverystepofthewayfromTcells.
SpecificallyCD4Tcells.Anditturnsoutthatthehelphastocomefromaspecialized
typeofCD4Tcell:aTfollicularhelpercell,Tfh.SinceTfhcellsarerequiredformost
antibodyresponses,itisvaluabletounderstandwhattriggersTfhcelldevelopment.
Thishasbeenunknown.Wetested2,000differenthumanproteinsanddiscovered
thatanunusualproteincalledActivinAcanpotentlyinduceTfhcells.
What'stheapplicationofthatfinding?
SinceyouneedTfhcellsforprotectiveantibodyresponsesagainstalmostallviruses
andbacteria,itwouldbevaluabletobeabletobettermakeTfhcellsforvaccines,to
getbetterantibodyresponsesagainstthingslikeZikavirusorHIV.Triggering
activinAmayaccomplishthat.Incontrast,therearealsodiseaseswherepeople
make“bad’immuneresponsesagainsttheirbodies,autoimmunediseases...itwould
beveryvaluabletoshutdownthoseantibodyresponses.BlockingTfhcellsmaydo
that,andthereforeblockingactivinAmaydothat.