Nerve cells in the gut play a crucial role in the body's ability to marshal an immune response to infection, according to a new study from Weill Cornell Medicine scientists.
The study, published Sept. 6 in Nature, shows that the immune system and nervous system have co-evolved to respond to infectious threats. This means that scientists looking for ways to treat diseases like inflammatory bowel disease or asthma that involve an excessive immune system response may also have to address the nervous system's role.
"The immune system and neuronal system don't act independently," said senior author Dr. David Artis, director of the Jill Roberts Institute for Research in Inflammatory Bowel Disease and the Michael Kors Professor of Immunology at Weill Cornell Medicine. "They are working together."
"These guys are dancing like a tango," Dr. Klose said. The lining of the gut is home to many immune system cells, which serve as a defense against parasites and other infections. It is also loaded with nerve cells. Lead author Dr. Christoph Klose, a postdoctoral associate at the Roberts Institute, found that immune system cells in the gut, called group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s), are intertwined with nerve cells called cholinergic neurons.
The cells' close proximity led the researchers to wonder if they may be communicating. That's when they discovered that the ILC2 cells had a receptor for a protein called neuromedin U (NMU), which acts as a messenger for the nerve cells. In laboratory experiments, the investigators found that exposing ILC2 cells to NMU causes the ILC2 cells to rapidly multiply and secrete chemicals called cytokines that may help trigger an immune response or cause inflammation.
Administering NMU to mice infected with a gut parasite triggered inflammation and a powerful immune response that helped the mice more quickly expel the parasites. Conversely, mice genetically engineered to lack receptors for NMU were more susceptible to the parasites, allowing them to multiply rapidly in the rodents' gut. The study shows that the NMU-producing nerve cells help prime the ILC2 cells, enabling them to rapidly and effectively respond to infection.
"Where we are most excited is thinking about multiple chronic inflammatory diseases that might be related to this neuronal-immune axis and where we might be able to intervene," Dr. Artis said.The findings may have important implications for scientists studying inflammatory diseases, including asthma, food allergies and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Dr. Artis said it was too soon to say whether NMU itself or its receptors could be treatment targets, but he said studying these pathways might lead to potential new therapies for these diseases.
Materials provided by Weill Cornell Medicine. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Disclaimer: DoveMed is not responsible for the accuracy of the adapted version of news releases posted to DoveMed by contributing universities and institutions.
References:
Christoph S. N. Klose, Tanel Mahlakõiv, Jesper B. Moeller, Lucille C. Rankin, Anne-Laure Flamar, Hiroki Kabata, Laurel A. Monticelli, Saya Moriyama, Gregory Garbès Putzel, Nikolai Rakhilin, Xiling Shen, Evi Kostenis, Gabriele M. König, Takashi Senda, Dustin Carpenter, Donna L. Farber, David Artis. (2017). The neuropeptide neuromedin U stimulates innate lymphoid cells and type 2 inflammation. Nature. DOI: 10.1038/nature23676
and connect with fellow professionals
At DoveMed, our utmost priority is your well-being. We are an online medical resource dedicated to providing you with accurate and up-to-date information on a wide range of medical topics. But we're more than just an information hub - we genuinely care about your health journey. That's why we offer a variety of products tailored for both healthcare consumers and professionals, because we believe in empowering everyone involved in the care process.
Our mission is to create a user-friendly healthcare technology portal that helps you make better decisions about your overall health and well-being. We understand that navigating the complexities of healthcare can be overwhelming, so we strive to be a reliable and compassionate companion on your path to wellness.
As an impartial and trusted online resource, we connect healthcare seekers, physicians, and hospitals in a marketplace that promotes a higher quality, easy-to-use healthcare experience. You can trust that our content is unbiased and impartial, as it is trusted by physicians, researchers, and university professors around the globe. Importantly, we are not influenced or owned by any pharmaceutical, medical, or media companies. At DoveMed, we are a group of passionate individuals who deeply care about improving health and wellness for people everywhere. Your well-being is at the heart of everything we do.
0 Comments
Please log in to post a comment.