Nature: Significant progress! AIM2 is important for the normal functioning of regulatory T cells and plays a key role in reducing autoimmune diseases

February 2, 2021 /--- Many molecules in our bodies help our immune system stay healthy without overreacting to cause problems in our immune cells, such as autoimmune diseases.
a molecule called AIM2, which is part of the congenital immune system that fights pathogens and keeps the body healthy.
, however, little is known about the function of AIM2 in T-cell adaptive immunity, an immune defense against specific pathogens and health problems that occur through our lifetimes.
Now, in a new study, a team led by Dr. Jenny Ting, a professor of genetics at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, and Dr. Yisong Wan, a professor of microbiology and immunology, has found that AIM2 is important for the normal functioning of regulatory T-cells and plays a key role in reducing autoimmune diseases.
results were published online January 27, 2021 in the journal Nature, under the title "AIM2 in regulatory T cells t cells autoimmune diseases".
images from CC0 Public Domain.
Treg cells are an important group of adaptive immune cells that can prevent overactive immune responses, such as those that occur in autoimmune diseases.
study showed that AIM2 actually had a much higher level of expression in Thetreg cells of the adaptive immune system than in congenital immune cells.
Ting said, "Our study reveals that AIM2 plays an unexpected and previously unresponsive role in the Treg cells of the adaptive immune system, which is independent of AIM2's classic function in the innocular immune system.
"Wan added, "Given the known role of Treg cells in a range of diseases, including autoimmune diseases, inflammation, and cancer, our findings will help us identify new molecular targets and develop new treatment strategies for debilitating and deadly diseases."
" normal immune response fights pathogens and maintains biological stability through congenital and adaptive immune responses.
these reactions need to be regulated to avoid overactive and cause a range of different health problems.
different cell types and molecules play different roles in the reduction of congenital and adaptive immunity.
study shows that AIM2 in Treg cells is one of them.
Treg cells suppress an overactive immune response, so they are critical to the examination and balance of the immune system.
the function of Treg cells tends to disturb the stability of the immune system and can lead to autoimmune diseases and inflammatory diseases.
researchers found that in mice and humans, AIM2's expression levels in Treg cells were much higher than those of congenital immune cells.
, co-lead author of the paper and research assistant at Ting Labs, said, "This suggests that AIM2 is very important in Tring cells."
found that AIM2 was important for maintaining the normal functioning of Treg cells and that without AIM2, it was not effective in preventing mice from developing autoimmune encephaloartelamitis and inflammatory colitis.
" models of mouse disease are models of multiple sclerosis and colitis in humans.
" We conducted further molecular and bio-chemical analysis to reveal a new cell signaling path path in Treg cells consisting of protein molecules, the so-called AIM2-RACK1-PP2A-AKT path, which regulates the metabolism and function of Treg cells, thereby reducing autoimmune diseases.
"(Bioon.com) Reference: 1.Wei-Chun Chou et al. AIM2 in regulatory T cells restrains autoimmune diseases. Nature, 2021, doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03231-w.2.Scientists find key function of molecule in cells crucial for regulating immunity