Many molecules in our bodies help our immune system keep us healthy without overreacting so much that our immune cells cause problems, such as autoimmune diseases. One molecule, called AIM2, is part of our innate immunity a defence system established since birth to fight pathogens and keep us healthy. But little was known about AIM2's contribution to T cell adaptive immunity defences developed in response to particular pathogens and health problems we develop over the course of our lives. They discovered that AIM2 is important for the proper function of regulatory T cells, or Treg cells, and plays a key role in mitigating autoimmune disease. Treg cells are a seminal population of adaptive immune cells that prevents an overzealous immune response, such as those that occurs in autoimmune diseases.

Because Treg cells are well-known players in a broad range of diseases including autoimmunity, inflammation, and cancers, our findings will help us identify new molecular targets and develop new therapeutic strategies to test against debilitating and fatal diseases.

Normal immune responses are carried out by both innate immunity and adaptive immunity to fight pathogens and maintain biological stability. But these responses need to be regulated so they do not escalate and cause a whole host of different health problems aside from what the pathogen originally caused. Distinct cell types and molecules play discrete roles in the down-regulation of innate immunity and adaptive immunity. This work shows that AIM2, in Treg cells, is one of them. Treg cells dampen over-exuberant immune responses, and so they are critical for the check-and-balance of the immunity system. Impaired function of Treg cells often perturbs immune system stability and can trigger autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.

Regards

John
Editorial Assistant
Immunogenetics Open Access