A research group has discovered a novel modulator for human regulatory T-cells. This novel regulator can strengthen or dampen the body’s immune response and it also provides a new basis for developing different therapeutic approaches to combat a host of immune mediated diseases.
The researchers are based at Turku Bioscience Centre of the University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University in Finland. Together, these institutions are part of the InFLAMES Research Flagship.
The goal of the Flagship is to integrate the immunological and immunology-related research activities to develop and exploit new diagnostic and therapeutic tools for personalised medicine.
The basis of the research is immunology. T cells are part of the immune system and develop from stem cells in the bone marrow. They help protect the body from infection.
The T cells in our blood fight against cancer, viruses and bacteria. Specific regulatory T cells are required to control faulty immune responses, and disruption in their function may lead to autoimmune diseases or cancer.
The scientists at Turku Bioscience Centre have discovered a novel RNA that controls the development and function of regulatory T cells. This long intergenic noncoding RNA (lincRNA) modulates the levels of transcription factor FOXP3 and the suppressive function of human regulatory T cells by controlling the interleukin-2 receptor.
The finding potentially enables the development of new therapeutic approaches to control the human immune response, especially for developing precision medicine treatments for autoimmune diseases and cancer.
Regulatory T cells are already being studied in patients to treat type 1 diabetes, and the novel lincRNA molecule could be used to boost the production of these cells for therapeutic use.
The discovery is further interesting because cancer cells are able to hide from the immune system by specifically manipulating regulatory T cells. Recently introduced immune activator therapeutic monoclonal antibodies for cancer are attempting to break this hiding process.
The scientists suggests that by targeting the novel lincRNA molecule, it may be possible to release immune activation in cancer without using expensive antibodies. It follows that the expression of lincRNAs is highly tissue and cell specific so targeting these molecules will enable precision therapy against desired targets.
The research appears in the journal PNAS, titled “Long Noncoding RNA LIRIL2R Modulates FOXP3 Levels and Suppressive Function of Human CD4+ Regulatory T Cells by Regulating IL2RA”
