Body’s molecular sensors may trigger autoimmune disease

ScienceDaily (Oct. 27, 2011) — Bruce Beutler, MD, a co-recipient of the 2011 Nobel Prize in Medicine, has coauthored an article describing a novel molecular mechanism that can cause the body to attack itself and trigger an autoimmune disease. The article is published online ahead of print in the Journal of Interferon & Cytokine Research, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.

In the article, entitled "Intracellular Nucleic Acid Sensors and Autoimmunity," Argyrios Theofilopoulos, Dwight Kono, Bruce Beutler, and Roberto Baccala, The Scripps Research Institute (La Jolla, California), review the scientific evidence that supports the role of molecular sensors located inside cells in the initiation not only of protective and inflammatory immune responses, but also in an autoimmune response. These sensors recognize nucleic acid signatures that may be shared by foreign pathogens and the body's own DNA and RNA.

Dr. Beutler is one of three recipients awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine. He shares half of the prize with Jules Hoffman, PhD for their discoveries related to how the body's immune system fights disease through the activation of an innate immune response. The third recipient, Ralph Steinman, MD, who died before the Nobel Prizes were announced, previously published an article in AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses. Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. congratulates the three winners for the work and contributions to medicine for which they are being recognized.

The Journal of Interferon & Cytokine Research, led by Co-Editors-in-Chief Ganes C. Sen, PhD, Chairman, Department of Molecular Genetics, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, and Thomas A. Hamilton, PhD, Chairman, Department of Immunology, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published monthly in print and online that covers all aspects of interferons and cytokines from basic science to clinical applications. Journal of Interferon & Cytokine Research is the Official Journal of the International Society for Interferon and Cytokine Research. Tables of content and a free sample issue may be viewed online at www.liebertpub.com/jir

Recommend this story on Facebook, Twitter,
and Google +1:

Other bookmarking and sharing tools:

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., Publishers.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

Journal References:

Argyrios N. Theofilopoulos, Dwight H. Kono, Bruce Beutler, Roberto Baccala. Intracellular Nucleic Acid Sensors and Autoimmunity. Journal of Interferon & Cytokine Research, 2011; 111027061355005 DOI: 10.1089/jir.2011.0092Ralf Ignatius, Yang Wei, Sylvie Beaulieu, Agegnehu Gettie, Ralph M. Steinman, Melissa Pope, Svetlana Mojsov. Short Communication: The Immunodeficiency Virus Coreceptor, Bonzo/STRL33/TYMSTR, Is Expressed by Macaque and Human Skin- and Blood-Derived Dendritic Cells. AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses, 2000; 16 (11): 1055 DOI: 10.1089/08892220050075318

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

View the original article here

Read More

What role do cytokines play in autoimmune diseases?

ScienceDaily (Oct. 27, 2011) — Cytokines, a varied group of signaling chemicals in the body, have been described as the software that runs the immune system, but when that software malfunctions, dysregulation of the immune system can result in debilitating autoimmune diseases such as lupus, arthritis, and diabetes. Leading experts in the field of cytokine research present their most up-to-date findings and unique perspectives on the role of cytokines in autoimmune diseases in a special issue of the Journal of Interferon & Cytokine Research, a peer-reviewed publication of Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.

Dhan Kalvakolanu, PhD, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Journal Co-Editors-in-Chief Ganes C. Sen, PhD, and Thomas A. Hamilton, PhD, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, together with Guest Editors Kamal Moudgil, MD, PhD, University of Maryland School of Medicine, and Divaker Choubey, PhD, University of Cincinnati have compiled a wealth of in-depth review articles, original research, and insightful perspectives from expert researchers on the evolving understanding of how cytokines can both contribute to the initiation of autoimmune diseases and control the inflammation associated with the acute phase of these diseases. This special issue of the Journal is the first in a two-volume collection of articles.

In his introductory Editorial, Dr. Kalvakolanu identifies cytokines as the first step in the onset of immune responses in which the body attacks its own cells and tissues, leading to the development of autoimmune diseases. Drs. Moudgil and Choubey present an overview of the role cytokines play in the induction, regulation, and treatment of autoimmunity. An original research article, "Critical Cytokine Pathways to Cardiac Inflammation," by Noel Rose, PhD, The Johns Hopkins Schools of Medicine and Public Health (Baltimore, MD), describes a mouse model of autoimmune myocarditis -- inflammation of the heart muscles -- that is triggered by infection with Coxsackievirus B3. The model allows researchers to study the cytokine pathways involved in this disease, with the goal of identifying chemical markers that could be used to predict patients more likely to experience an autoimmune reaction after infection.

The Journal of Interferon & Cytokine Research is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published monthly in print and online that covers all aspects of interferons and cytokines from basic science to clinical applications. Journal of Interferon & Cytokine Research is the Official Journal of the International Society for Interferon and Cytokine Research. Tables of content and a free sample issue may be viewed online at www.liebertpub.com/jir

Recommend this story on Facebook, Twitter,
and Google +1:

Other bookmarking and sharing tools:

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., Publishers.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

View the original article here

Read More