A new immune cell-regulating receptor has been discovered by the University of Exeter.
The MRC Centre for Medical Mycology has come across MICL, a receptor commonly present on neutrophils, that could have potential in reducing inflammation associated with diseases such as arthritis and severe COVID-19.
The novel research, which was published in Nature, looked at MICL's behaviour, and found that in an altered form, it can cause severe inflammatory disease.
This finding could "open the door to the development of new therapies that target this receptor, with the potential to reduce the severity of inflammatory diseases and protect against infection," according to the lead author of the study, Dr Mariano Malamud.
From the research, it seems that MICL inhibits the activation of the immune system — essentially acting as a regulatory mechanism to prevent over-activation.
The team also found that MICL plays a crucial role in regulating the inflammation caused by severe COVID-19, as well as a number of autoimmune diseases.
Senior author Prof. Gordon Brown from the University of Exeter, said: “We’ve been working on how immune cells sense their environment for over 20 years, and this breakthrough is really exciting, revealing how the inhibition of inflammatory processes is finely balanced between controlling infection and the development of autoimmune disease”
The paper is entitled “Recognition and control of Neutrophil Extracellular Trap formation by MICL’.
