New Delhi, August 18 (IANS) Researchers have deciphered the connection between metabolism and immunity in hereditary diseases.
Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in the USA have discovered a new group of metabolic genes that are crucial for the function of T cells and could improve the treatment of patients with these diseases.
The team focused on genes responsible for inborn errors of metabolism – disorders that affect cellular energy conversion – as well as inborn errors of immunity, which affect the function of the immune system. These rare diseases are complex and not yet fully understood.
“To date, only a small number of genes have been identified that are associated with both lists of diseases. However, we have found that there are many more genes that share similarities,” said Dr. Andrew Patterson, who led the study at Vanderbilt University. The research found that a significant number of genes associated with metabolic disorders also impair T cell function when mutated.
These findings suggest that patients with metabolic disorders may have underlying immune deficiencies that could affect their treatment, and conversely that metabolic defects may contribute to symptoms in patients with immune system disorders.
“Although much more research is needed, these associations may suggest other treatment approaches,” said Jeffrey Rathmell, director of the Vanderbilt Center for Immunobiology.
He added that these diseases do not represent separate categories, but rather a continuum, with a possible new class of inborn errors of immunometabolism that overlaps between the two conditions.
The research team used CRISPR gene editing technology to screen genes associated with metabolic disorders for immune defects and vice versa. They then closely examined one gene from each category to understand its effects on T cell function.
The team aims to understand how metabolic pathways regulate T cell function in order to develop targeted therapies for immune-mediated diseases.
“We have laid the groundwork for further investigation,” Patterson said.
“The two examples we have studied in detail point to new biological insights and new mechanisms. We have also identified hundreds of other genes whose role we can analyze in T cell function.”