SATB1 tagged posts

A newly discovered molecular mechanism could explain some autoimmune diseases. Credit: Image courtesy of Osaka University

While the immune system is crucial for protecting the body from infection and disease, prolonged activation can damage healthy tissue. After its activation, the immune system is shut off by regulatory T cells (Treg cells). Understanding the development of Treg cells is thought to be critical for combating autoimmune diseases. “The development of Treg cells in the thymus depends on super-enhancer establishment,” explains IFReC Professor Shimon Sakaguchi.

This super-enhancer establishment permits the expression of genes specific for Treg cell development...

Two gene-regulating molecules have been found to have a protective effect in the set of neurons most affected by the disease, and when their activity wanes, disease sets in. This discovery suggests new avenues by which the disease might be prevented or treated.

METHOD: They used genetically engineering mice to capture the genetic messages being translated into proteins in a specific population of cells. They then mapped the interactions of regulator genes with their target genes in the mouse brain, and used this new tool to interpret the changes they documented between normal mice and those suffering from Parkinson’s-like degeneration.

This led them to 2 molecules: proteins SATB1 and ZDHHC2, which are more abundant in the dopaminergic neurons in the SNpc (Substantia Nigra pars compac...