Researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago have identified a protein that is crucial for activating inflammation—both the good kind of inflammation that leads to healing wounds and fighting infection, as well as excessive inflammation where the immune system can damage tissues and organs. The protein—an ion channel that spans the membrane of immune cells—presents a new target for the development of drugs that can restrain overblown inflammatory responses. The researchers report their findings in the journal
Immunity.
Scientists have long known that
inflammation involves the activation of a structure within immune cells called the inflammasome, and that it is activated by an influx of potassium ions across the cell membrane through a protein
channel. However, the identity of this channel was not known until now.
Researchers led by Asrar Malik, Schweppe Family Distinguished Professor and head of pharmacology in the UIC College of Medicine, have now identified the channel, called TWIK2, and have studied its function in macrophages, a type of immune cell involved in fending off infections as well as clearing debris during inflammation.
"Now that we have identified this crucial channel, it opens up the possibility of developing targeted new anti-inflammatory drugs to modify its function and help and reduce inflammation," said Malik.
