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‘Our
work shows that the SAP gene is a central player in long-term antibody
responses ...’ — SHANE CROTTY Emory Vaccine Research Center |
WITHOUT THE
gene, called SAP, the immune system cannot recognize and react to pathogens,
making people more vulnerable to diseases. “So this gene is clearly important for immune responses. Our work shows that the SAP gene is a central player in long-term antibody responses, and indicates that manipulation of SAP may have therapeutic benefits in generating better antibody responses,” said Shane Crotty of the Emory Vaccine Research Center in Georgia. Vaccines are usually given to healthy people to protect them from infection by bacteria, viruses or other pathogens. They work by stimulating the body’s own immune system to generate a response to the pathogen. If it invades the body again the immune system should be able to remember it and fight it without the person getting ill. MICE STUDY REVEALS CLUES Crotty and his colleagues discovered the gene by measuring the immune response of genetically engineered, or knockout, mice which lacked SAP and normal mice. Their research is reported in the science journal Nature. |
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The immune systems in both groups of mice launched a similar initial
response when the animals were infected with a virus. But afterwards the
knockout mice failed to produce enough plasma cells and memory B-cells,
which are needed to make antibodies to destroy the virus and are crucial for
long-term immunity.The same types of cells remain in the body after the initial infection has been cleared and launch an attack it if reappears. |
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“What is so
interesting about this gene is that it controls the generation of long-term
memory, but it’s not important for short-term immune responses. We haven’t
seen a gene that does this before,” said Dr Rafi Ahmed, senior author of the
study. The cells produced for long-term immunity are also essential for a successful vaccine because a vaccine cannot protect against infection unless it produces long-term immune memory. © 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. |
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