Scientists have found that a protein helps control the function of the immune system

According to Xinhuanet, a Japanese research team reported that they found a protein related to the regulation of intracellular calcium concentration, which is necessary for the inhibition of T cell maturation If the artificial control of this protein molecule is realized, it is possible to treat autoimmune diseases such as Sjogren's syndrome and multiple sclerosis The immune system of healthy human body can distinguish itself from foreign substances, and avoid attacking its own tissues while attacking invading bacteria, viruses and other pathogens But if the immune response is excessive, the immune system will attack normal cells and tissues, leading to allergies and autoimmune diseases Therefore, when to activate or suppress the immune system is very important In the immune system, T cells play an important role This kind of lymphocyte can recognize foreign bodies such as viruses and bacteria and direct other immune cells to attack foreign bodies The inhibitory T cell subsets can negatively regulate the immune system If its function is abnormal, the immune response is too strong, which will lead to autoimmune diseases His team found that stromal sympathetic molecules are related to the production of suppressive T cells They created a group of mice that could not synthesize stromal sympathetic molecule 1 and stromal sympathetic molecule 2, and found that these mice could not produce inhibitory T cells at all Further experiments showed that under the action of stromal sympathetic molecules, calcium entered the cell interior, which is essential to inhibit the proliferation of T cells According to the paper published in the new online edition of the Journal of immunology, matrix sympathetic molecule is an essential factor for the artificial cultivation and induction of suppressive T cells To achieve the artificial control of this protein molecule, it is possible to treat a variety of autoimmune diseases.