HOME >> BIOLOGY >> NEWS
Mouse study yields clue to why liver is less prone to rejection, say Pitt researchers

BOSTON, May 17 Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh's Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute believe they have identified a mechanism that may help to explain why the liver enjoys privileged immunological status over other organs, making it the least vulnerable to rejection when transplanted.

Playing a central role in this mechanism is the dendritic cell, known for its ability to identify and present antigens, or foreign substances, to other immune system cells that are programmed to destroy the antigen. When mature, dendritic cells signal T cells, the soldiers of the immune system, to attack a transplanted organ, for example. But dendritic cells that reside in the liver are relatively docile in nature. Why this is, according to the Pitt study, may be due to the fact that they express lower amounts of a certain molecule that serves as a switch for the maturation process.

Reporting in a plenary session at the American Transplant Congress, the joint scientific meeting of the American Society of Transplant Surgeons and the American Society of Transplantation, An de Creus, Ph.D., identified the key molecule as a Toll-like receptor known as TLR-4. Toll-like receptors are like night watchmen that look for suspicious activity characterized by unusual patterns of other molecules. TLR-4 is known to react to lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a component found in the cell wall of bacteria. Reacting to LPS sets in motion a cascade of immune events that begins with the rapid maturation of dendritic cells.

Because of the liver's position downstream from the intestines, dendritic cells there encounter large amounts of LPS as remnants of bacteria from the gut are carried by blood flowing through the liver's portal vein. But unlike dendritic cells found elsewhere, such as in the spleen, dendritic cells that reside in the liver express less TLR-4, making them more apathetic toward LPS, the researchers found in their studies of mice.

"With th
'"/>


17-May-2004


Page: 1 2 3

Related biology news :

1. Half-million dollar landmark achieved for the Methuselah Mouse Prize
2. Mouse study shows NPAS3 and NPAS1 genes may be linked to psychosis
3. Mouse brain stem cells capable of converting into blood vessel cells
4. Mouse embryonic germ cells and male gametes created in the lab
5. Mouse, stripped of a key gene, resists diabetes
6. Mouse model of schizophrenia could speed identification of new antipsychotic drugs
7. Mouse study identifies protective mechanism against alcohol-induced embryo toxicity
8. Mouse model offers new explanation for kidney disease and failure
9. Mouse study suggests mammoth evolutionary change
10. Mouse genetic model for spongiform brain diseases
11. Mouse model links alcohol intake to marijuana-like brain compounds

Post Your Comments:
(Date:5/23/2013)... in treating cerebral palsy with autologous cord blood. Following ... year old boy had been in a persistent vegetative ... months after treatment with the cord blood containing stem ... the child learned to speak simple sentences and to ... study, dispel the long-held doubts about the effectiveness of ...
(Date:5/23/2013)... fastest growing open-access publishers, announces the launch of ... Biotechnology . , A broad scope journal ... Biotechnology will provide a single open-access platform ... to be disseminated and discussed. , ... an open-science and interactive web platform for the ...
(Date:5/23/2013)... when microbial pathogens are growing increasingly resistant to the ... of Wisconsin scientists has synthesized a potent new class ... staph infections. , Writing online in the Journal ... by University of Wisconsin-Madison chemistry Professor Helen Blackwell describes ... of Staphylococcus aureus , a bacterium at the ...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):First successful treatment of pediatric cerebral palsy with autologous cord blood 2Frontiers launches new open-access journal in Bioengineering and Biotechnology 2University of Wisconsin chemists find new compounds to curb staph infection 2
(Date:5/23/2013)... BioTrends Research Group, one of the ... biopharmaceutical issues, finds that, unaided, one in five ... that in the past six months, they have ... anticipation of the next generation of HCV treatments—notably ... 6 percent reported that they had begun warehousing ...
(Date:5/23/2013)... May 23, 2013 Northwest Biotherapeutics (NASDAQ: ... DCVax ® personalized immune therapies for solid tumor ... at this year,s American Society Of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) ... its leadership role in immune therapy.  (Logo: ... meeting is the pre-eminent conference focused on clinical treatment ...
(Date:5/23/2013)...  Verenium Corporation (Nasdaq: VRNM ), a ... commercialization of high-performance enzymes, today announced that ... at two upcoming conferences. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120924/MM79973LOGO ... Second Annual Marcum LLP Microcap Conference on Thursday, May ... York City.  The presentation is scheduled to begin at ...
(Date:5/23/2013)... May 23, 2013 SynCardia Systems, Inc. ... only FDA, Health Canada and CE (Europe) approved Total ... in Scotland, which boasts more than 380,000 visitors annually, ... powered by the Freedom® portable driver as part ... most advanced exhibitions of its kind. , “BodyWorks ...
Breaking Biology Technology:The Majority of Physicians that Treat Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Have Begun "Warehousing" and Preparing Their HCV Patients for the Next Generation of HCV Treatments 2The Majority of Physicians that Treat Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Have Begun "Warehousing" and Preparing Their HCV Patients for the Next Generation of HCV Treatments 3NW Bio Exhibit at the Upcoming ASCO Meeting to Highlight its Leadership Role in Immune Therapy for Cancer 2NW Bio Exhibit at the Upcoming ASCO Meeting to Highlight its Leadership Role in Immune Therapy for Cancer 3Verenium To Present At Two Upcoming Conferences 2Verenium To Present At Two Upcoming Conferences 3SynCardia Total Artificial Heart Featured in $3 Million Exhibition at Glasgow Science Centre 2SynCardia Total Artificial Heart Featured in $3 Million Exhibition at Glasgow Science Centre 3
Cached News: