XML Feed for RxPG News   Add RxPG News Headlines to My Yahoo!   Javascript Syndication for RxPG News

Research Health World General
 
  Home
 
 Latest Research
 Cancer
 Psychiatry
 Genetics
 Surgery
 Aging
 Ophthalmology
 Gynaecology
 Neurosciences
 Pharmacology
 Cardiology
 Obstetrics
 Infectious Diseases
 Respiratory Medicine
 Pathology
 Endocrinology
 Immunology
  Autoimmune Diseases
  Immunosupressants
  Monoclonal Antibodies
 Nephrology
 Gastroenterology
 Biotechnology
 Radiology
 Dermatology
 Microbiology
 Haematology
 Dental
 ENT
 Environment
 Embryology
 Orthopedics
 Metabolism
 Anaethesia
 Paediatrics
 Public Health
 Urology
 Musculoskeletal
 Clinical Trials
 Physiology
 Biochemistry
 Cytology
 Traumatology
 Rheumatology
 
 Medical News
 Health
 Opinion
 Healthcare
 Professionals
 Launch
 Awards & Prizes
 
 Careers
 Medical
 Nursing
 Dental
 
 Special Topics
 Euthanasia
 Ethics
 Evolution
 Odd Medical News
 Feature
 
 World News
 Tsunami
 Epidemics
 Climate
 Business
 
 India
Search

Last Updated: Nov 18, 2006 - 12:32:53 PM

Immunology Channel
subscribe to Immunology newsletter

Latest Research : Immunology

   DISCUSS   |   EMAIL   |   PRINT
Immune cell receptors act in combination to regulate attack
Dec 4, 2005 - 10:06:00 AM, Reviewed by: Dr.

"This is very important if you think about antibodies in human therapy. So choosing an antibody with the highest affinity for activating the right combination of Fcγ receptors is critical if you want to improve antibody-mediated cancer therapy, viral therapy, and whatever else you can think of.�

 
The complexities of the mammalian immune system allow our bodies to fend off countless diseases. But researchers are still working to pin down exactly how it works � and to understand why some people�s antibodies, and some therapeutic antibodies, are better able to fight off disease than others�. In research published in today�s issue of Science, Rockefeller researchers show how a newly discovered receptor may be partly responsible.

Two competing theories exist as to why some subclasses of antibodies, called IgG isotypes, are more effective against pathogens than others. The older and most-accepted model holds that certain isotypes are better at activating blood proteins called complement, which bind to a viral, bacterial or tumor cell and kill it by punching holes in its surface. An alternative model, however, suggests that the different isotypes have varying affinities to the four different antibody receptors on an immune cell�s surface � three of these receptors act as activators, one acts as an inhibitor, and together they determine whether the cell is turned on or off.

A new study by Jeffrey Ravetch, head of Rockefeller�s Leonard Wagner Laboratory of Molecular Genetics and Immunology, and Falk Nimmerjahn, a postdoctoral fellow in the lab and the paper�s first author, provides overwhelming evidence in favor of the second theory. Their research shows that it�s the receptors that dictate how efficiently an antibody will recognize a foreign cell, bind to it, and destroy it. By studying mice in which one receptor at a time was blocked, and then comparing their ability to fight off tumors, Ravetch and Nimmerjahn illustrate how a receptor they�d discovered earlier this year is a vital piece of the puzzle. It seems that different antibody isotypes bind to different receptors, thus determining how effectively a foreign cell will be destroyed: If the antibody selectively engages only the inhibitory receptor, the immune cell won�t attack. The new receptor, named FcγIV, allows the most efficient IgG isotypes to activate immune cells so they can attack tumor cells, viruses, and other invaders.

�This is very important if you think about antibodies in human therapy,� says Nimmerjahn. Humans and mice have a very similar immune system, �so choosing an antibody with the highest affinity for activating the right combination of Fcγ receptors is critical if you want to improve antibody-mediated cancer therapy, viral therapy, and whatever else you can think of.� Nimmerjahn and Ravetch are now working to create mutant antibodies with an even higher affinity for Fcg receptors, and even more efficient at eliminating tumors.
 

- Science 310(5753): 1510-1512 (December 2, 2005),
 

www.sciencemag.org

 
Subscribe to Immunology Newsletter
E-mail Address:

 



Related Immunology News

Pregnant women with lupus are at higher risk for complications
Molecular 'signature' protects cells from viruses
Discovery in the evolution of the immune system absorbing cells
Leeds University study shows eculizumab may be an effective therapy for PNH
Research Reveals Inner Workings of Immune System �Thermostat�
CD23 Protein in Stool Samples may Indicate Food Allergy
Molecular signals triggering maturation of natural killer cells uncovered
New method to analyse the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) of the human genome
Front Line Immune Cells Mature in Four Stages - Study
Caspase-12 gene that shuts down immune system is found in 20% of people of African descent


For any corrections of factual information, to contact the editors or to send any medical news or health news press releases, use feedback form

Top of Page

 

© Copyright 2004 onwards by RxPG Medical Solutions Private Limited
Contact Us