Navigation Links
B-cell discovery suggests why women suffer more autoimmune disease
Date:8/4/2011

Researchers at National Jewish Health have discovered a type of cell that may contribute to autoimmune disease and suggests why diseases such as lupus, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis strike women more frequently than men. The cells, a subset of immune-system B cells, make autoantibodies, which bind to and attack the body's own tissue. The researchers reported in the August 4, 2011, issue of the journal Blood, that they found higher levels of these cells in elderly female mice, young and old mice prone to autoimmune disease, and humans with autoimmune diseases. National Jewish Health has applied for a patent for a method to treat autoimmune disease by depleting these cells.

"We believe these cells could be useful in the diagnosis and treatment of autoimmune diseases, and may help us understand general mechanisms underlying autoimmunity," said senior author Philippa Marrack, PhD, Professor of Immunology at National Jewish Health.

Autoimmune diseases occur when the immune system begins attacking its own tissues rather than external pathogens. Several autoimmune diseases, including lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis, afflict women anywhere from two to 10 times as often as they do males. Although sex hormones are known to play a role in autoimmune disease, other factors are involved in these gender differences.

The research team came across the new cells when they were examining differential expression of X-chromosome genes in healthy male and female mice. They discovered a previously undescribed type of B cell, which expressed the cell-surface protein CD11c. The protein is an integrin, which helps cells attach to other cells or to an extracellular matrix. The researchers are not certain what role integrin might play in autoimmunity or if it is merely a marker for another mediator of autoimmunity.

These cells increase as healthy female mice age, but remain at constant low levels in healthy male mice. As a result,
'/>"/>

Contact: William Allstetter
allstetterw@njhealth.org
303-398-1002
National Jewish Health
Source:Eurekalert

0

GOOD

Page: 1 2

Related biology news :

1. HIV-1 protease inhibitor induced oxidative stress in pancreatic B-cells: thymoquinone protection
2. Pushmi-pullyu of B-cell development discovered
3. New book reviews mechanisms of T-cell and B-cell activation
4. Chemical equator discovery will aid pollution mapping
5. Sirtris review of sirtuin therapeutics for diseases of aging in Nature Reviews Drug Discovery
6. Groundbreaking discovery may lead to stronger antibiotics
7. Discovery of natural compounds that could slow blood vessel growth
8. Nanoscopic screening process to speed drug discovery
9. FSU researchers discovery leads to $1.5 million grant, potential new treatment of liver fibrosis
10. New $11 million center to speed production of new compounds for drug discovery
11. Discovery of giant roaming deep sea protist provides new perspective on animal evolution
Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email:
(Date:6/19/2013)... to contribute to a very large and potentially record-setting ... University of Michigan ecologist and colleagues who released their ... Bay. , The Gulf forecast, one of two announced ... an oxygen-depleted, or hypoxic, region of between 7,286 and ... 10 largest on record. , The low end of ...
(Date:6/18/2013)... the University of Calgary,s Faculty of Medicine have discovered ... from harmful bacteria. Platelets, a component of blood typically ... specific bacteria, and upon detection, seal it off from ... published in Nature Immunology this week, provide ... , "The science community has known that platelets do ...
(Date:6/18/2013)... are expecting a very large "dead zone" in the ... level in the Chesapeake Bay this year, based on ... University of Michigan, Louisiana State University, and the ... Gulf of Mexico hypoxic "dead" zone will be between ... among the ten largest recorded. That would range from ...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):U-M researcher and colleagues predict possible record-setting Gulf of Mexico 'dead zone' 2U-M researcher and colleagues predict possible record-setting Gulf of Mexico 'dead zone' 3U-M researcher and colleagues predict possible record-setting Gulf of Mexico 'dead zone' 4Immunity mechanism discovered 2NOAA, partners predict possible record-setting deadzone for Gulf of Mexico 2NOAA, partners predict possible record-setting deadzone for Gulf of Mexico 3NOAA, partners predict possible record-setting deadzone for Gulf of Mexico 4
... discovered that butterflies experience a great loss in body ... appear in the March issue of the Journal of ... Biology journal. , "The transformation of a caterpillar to ... William E. Connor of the Oregon Health and Science ...
... technology that allows DNA from thousands of genes to be ... of Utah medical researchers have confirmed that a region on ... The researchers at the U School of Medicine made the ... Utah family that has a high occurrence of the disorder ...
... previously linked to impulsive violence appears to weaken ... thinking in humans, researchers at the National Institutes ... (NIMH) have found. Brain scans revealed that people ... relatively smaller emotion-related brain structures, a hyperactive alarm ...
Cached Biology News:Butterflies lose body fat during metamorphosis 2Utah researchers confirm chromosome may harbor autism gene 2Utah researchers confirm chromosome may harbor autism gene 3Aggression-related gene weakens brain's impulse control circuits 2Aggression-related gene weakens brain's impulse control circuits 3
(Date:6/18/2013)... , June 18, 2013 The "Bioinformatics ... Platforms, Knowledge Management Tools & Data Analysis Services) & Application ... studies the Major Market Drivers, Restraints, and Opportunities in ... Asia-Pacific and Rest of World. ... 22 Figures ...
(Date:6/18/2013)... -- Techne Corporation (NASDAQ: TECH ) (Techne) ... 100% ownership of Bionostics Holdings Limited and its ... global leader in the development, manufacture and distribution ... of in vitro diagnostic (IVD) devices ... and blood gas testing.  Biosnostics has strategic supply ...
(Date:6/18/2013)... 18, 2013 Research ... the addition of the report " DNA ... to their offering.      (Logo: ... basics of human genome variations, development of ... and small sequencers are described as well ...
(Date:6/18/2013)... , June 18, 2013   Lexicon ... a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering breakthrough treatments ... Northcott has joined the company as its ... Mr. Northcott brings extensive commercial experience to Lexicon, ... a variety of therapeutic areas. Mr. ...
Breaking Biology Technology:Bioinformatics Market Worth $7.5 Billion by 2017 2Bioinformatics Market Worth $7.5 Billion by 2017 3Techne Corporation Announces Acquisition Agreement 2Techne Corporation Announces Acquisition Agreement 3Techne Corporation Announces Acquisition Agreement 4Techne Corporation Announces Acquisition Agreement 5DNA Sequencing: Technologies, Markets and Companies - 2013 Report 2John Northcott Joins Lexicon as Vice President of Marketing, Commercial Strategy and Operations 2John Northcott Joins Lexicon as Vice President of Marketing, Commercial Strategy and Operations 3
... isotyping in only 5 minutes , Weiping ... Peter L.,Pingerelli ,Stratagene Cloning Systems, Inc. , ... a,simple, rapid and sensitive method for identifying mouse ... test card is a self-contained assay,using colloidal gold-conjugated ...
... Neurons used to imitate neurodegeneration , , Rob ... a Walter J. McConathy a,b , a ... of North Texas Health Science Center , , This ... central nervious system cells (hNT Neurons) to imitate the,aging ...
... insertion and one-step purification from a more versatile ... and FLAG ,Epitope Tagging in E. coli ... Bauer Peter,Vaillancourt ,Stratagene , Stratagene has improved ... the new pCAL-n-FLAG vector. This new E. coli ...
Cached Biology Technology:Simple, Sensitive Isotyping of Mouse Monoclonal Antibodies 2Simple, Sensitive Isotyping of Mouse Monoclonal Antibodies 3Simple, Sensitive Isotyping of Mouse Monoclonal Antibodies 4Simple, Sensitive Isotyping of Mouse Monoclonal Antibodies 5Sex Steroid Regulation of Vasopressin Levels Secreted by hNT Neurons* 2Sex Steroid Regulation of Vasopressin Levels Secreted by hNT Neurons* 3Sex Steroid Regulation of Vasopressin Levels Secreted by hNT Neurons* 4Sex Steroid Regulation of Vasopressin Levels Secreted by hNT Neurons* 5Sex Steroid Regulation of Vasopressin Levels Secreted by hNT Neurons* 6Sex Steroid Regulation of Vasopressin Levels Secreted by hNT Neurons* 7High-Level Protein Expression, One-Column Purification, and FLAG,Epitope Tagging in E. coli 2High-Level Protein Expression, One-Column Purification, and FLAG,Epitope Tagging in E. coli 3High-Level Protein Expression, One-Column Purification, and FLAG,Epitope Tagging in E. coli 4High-Level Protein Expression, One-Column Purification, and FLAG,Epitope Tagging in E. coli 5High-Level Protein Expression, One-Column Purification, and FLAG,Epitope Tagging in E. coli 6High-Level Protein Expression, One-Column Purification, and FLAG,Epitope Tagging in E. coli 7High-Level Protein Expression, One-Column Purification, and FLAG,Epitope Tagging in E. coli 8
Mouse polyclonal antibody to MCFD2 - multiple coagulation factor deficiency 2...
Anti (porcine) Vitronectin...
... work in collaboration with Pall Life Sciences ... in a variety of membrane chemistries. The ... on the Caliper TPWII, MultiDose, Prelude, and ... our Automation Certified Syringe Filters are available ...
... polyclonal to BMP2 BMP2 belongs ... (TGFB) superfamily. Bone morphogenic protein induces ... gene for the autosomal dominant disease ... Immunogen: Synthetic peptide: PSDEVLSEFELRLLSM ...
Biology Products: