On August 8, the University of Tokushima is an essential process "positive choice" in the process of T lymphocyte production, in which Professor Kensuke Takada and Professor Yosuke Takahama of the University's Disease Proteo Genome Research Center play a central role in biological defense. Announced that it has revealed a new mechanism for.The research results are based on joint research with the National Institutes of Health, the University of Minnesota, the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Sciences, the University of Tokyo, and Nagoya University, and were published in the online version of "Nature Immunology" dated August 25. increase.
T lymphocytes, which are the control tower of the immune response, recognize foreign substances such as pathogens and play an indispensable role in biological defense.Although many immature T lymphocytes are useless and cannot recognize foreign substances, only T lymphocytes that are useful in the process of producing T lymphocytes in the thymus are selectively allowed to mature and vary. A mature T lymphocyte population that can respond to foreign substances is created.This T lymphocyte selection process has long been known and is called "positive selection".The research group found that not only T lymphocytes are selected but also the function of individual T lymphocytes is optimized in the process of "positive selection", and T lymphocytes are treated against foreign substances. It was revealed that "positive choice" is indispensable to acquire the ability to respond effectively.
This result will bring great progress in elucidating the fundamental formation mechanism of the immune system, and is expected to lead to the development of fundamental treatments for intractable chronic diseases related to the immune system, such as infectious diseases and allergic diseases. increase.
