Scientists have pinpointed a crucial “on/off switch” which has the potential to protect the body against infections.
The breakthrough, made by researchers at the University of Aberdeen and University of Dundee, could lead to the development of drugs to enhance the body’s immune responses to attack.
Researchers say the “on switch” will boost the body’s defences against a variety of diseases which lower immune defences including cancer and diabetes.
The corresponding “off switch” could treat autoimmune disorders, such as Rheumatoid arthritis, where the immune system is overactive.
Profesor John Forester, emeritus professor at Aberdeen University, said the team, led by colleague Mirela Delibegovic, was “very excited” about the discovery.
He said: “It is a very fundamental protein that we all need but it is the fact of the ability to switch it on and off that is important.”
Colleague Cristina Martin-Granados, said: “We have shown that the cells which turn on our immune responses to defend against infectious diseases require a particular protein to activate them in order to function properly.
“This protein, or enzyme, (PTP1B) effectively acts as a kind of ‘on switch’ and if it is missing or dysfunctional in our body, we cannot mount effective immune responses to tumours or infections.
“The work shows that this important protein in our cells (PTP1B) is a potential target for new therapies to regulate the immune system when it needs a boost as in severe infections or when it goes wrong as in cancer.”
Their findings have been published in the Journal of Molecular Cell Biology.