In a new study, Monash University researchers have discovered the role played by an enzyme that is critical to clearing infections in the body. The work was published yesterday in Nature Communications.
The production of antibodies is one of the important ways that is used to protect ourselves from infections. These antibodies are made by white blood cells called B cells and to be secreted, the B cells require remodeling of their cellular machinery.
In previous studies, the PRMT1 enzyme was shown to have many different targets, but it wasn't known if it played a role in B cells or even required for a complete immune cell response. In this study, the researchers used animal models and observed an increased amount of PRMT1 in response to activation. They observed the same effect in vitro with human B cells. When the PRMT1 gene was deleted and the cells were activated, the researchers saw that B cells were not able to create as robust of an immune response.
"The enzyme is a potential target in the future for blocking this behavior when it is inappropriate, such as when cells divide and multiply in cancer. It's probably also important for lymphocytes in autoimmune disease," said David Tarlinton, Ph.D., head of the Immune Memory Laboratory at Monash. "Any time that you want to suppress immune responses, this would provide an opportunity or a druggable target."