A discovery by researchers from the University of Notre Dame reveals the importance of the dynamic movement of proteins involved in the body's immune response.
A discovery by researchers from the University of Notre Dame (Indiana, USA) reveals the importance of the dynamic movement of proteins involved in the body's immune response.
The findings of the new study were published in the scientific journal Immunity, the leading research journal in the field of immune theory.
Scientists have known for a long time that the receptors found on T-cells of the immune system are important for the identification and elimination of cells infected with dangerous viruses or other pathogens. The research group examined cross-reactivity, that is, the ability of different T-cell receptors, of which there are hundreds of millions in the body, to recognize a large number of different antigens produced by other cells. The process is important for the treatment of viruses, cancer, autoimmunity, rejection of transplanted organs and other issues related to the immune system.
Most of the previous studies treated the receptors found in the cells as stationary components, however, in fact, the cells move and adapt to themselves many possible structures. The research team found that the success or failure of Heti cell receptors to bind to the appropriate antigens involves a complex movement to find the most suitable final structure. Different antigens give rise to different types of movements.
"We add the effect of traffic to the equation," explains the lead researcher. "This factor both complicates and simplifies, at the same time, our understanding of molecular recognition. Different ranges of motion are obtained when different antigens are present. This complicates our understanding of the diversity that the immune system deals with, but at the same time simplifies our understanding of the system's adaptation to this diversity.
"Fundamentally, we have to consider flexibility when we examine structures related to the immune system and structures in biology, in general."
The static view, which was the most favored in structural biology until now, is now being shifted towards placing more emphasis on the dynamics of the proteins, explains the researcher. For example, scientists have discovered that immune components can help the immune system in its fight against cancer, but they may still fail in this activity if considerations of flexibility and dynamics are not taken into account.
"This will probably be one of the defining areas of biochemistry in the coming decade - determining the effect of the movement of biological particles on the biological activity itself," adds the lead researcher.
