New control system of the body discovered
Monday, June 29, 2009 - 07:07
in Biology & Nature
Researchers in Berlin, Germany have ameliorated inflammation of the brain in mice caused by immune cells. A receptor they discovered on the surface of T cells in the central nervous system (CNS) plays the key role. Together with researchers in Canada and the USA they showed that this bradykinin receptor 1 (B1) controls the infiltration of immune cells into the CNS. When they activated B1 in mice with encephalitis, they were able to slow down the crossing of the immune cells through the blood-brain-barrier into the CNS. As a result, the inflammation markedly decreased. The work may unveil a new target for the treatment of diseases such as multiple sclerosis (Nature Medicine)...