Researchers have made important advancements in grasping how cells interact during inflammation.
Researchers from the Indiana University School of Medicine have achieved noteworthy advancements in understanding the mechanisms of cellular communication during inflammation. Their study, which spans five years and has been recently published in PNAS, investigates the molecules that facilitate cellular functions during inflammatory scenarios, focusing specifically on the central nervous system, where conditions such as multiple sclerosis arise.
“Communication is essential in any relationship, even at the cellular level involved in disease,” emphasized Mark Kaplan, PhD, chair of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at IU School of Medicine and the study’s senior author. “The molecules that facilitate cellular operations during inflammation can be compared to text messages exchanged between or within cells. We have been examining which cells receive these messages and how they respond in an inflammatory context within the central nervous system that gives rise to diseases like multiple sclerosis.”
The signaling molecule known as STAT4 was previously thought to function mainly in T cells, which are part of the immune defense. However, the research team discovered that STAT4 plays a significant role in dendritic cells, a specific type of cell that responds to extracellular signals IL-12 and IL-23.
“Our research has unveiled how STAT4 could serve as a potential target for treating inflammatory diseases in the central nervous system,” Kaplan stated. “By comprehending the communication processes between cells and understanding STAT4’s role, we can develop new therapies aimed at modifying immune responses and relieving symptoms associated with diseases like multiple sclerosis.”
The lead author of this study, Nada Alakhras, PhD, is a recent graduate from IU School of Medicine who currently works at Eli Lilly and Company. Other contributors include Wenwu Zhang, Nicolas Barros, James Ropa, Raj Priya, and Frank Yang from IU, along with Anchal Sharma from Eli Lilly and Company.
