The study, published in Nature, describes a complete pathway from parasite infection through to the chromatin-level changes that allow the organism to respond to it.
In collaboration with groups at the Kennedy Institute in Oxford, the Francis Crick Institute in London, the University of Sussex and Trinity College Dublin, researchers at the MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine identified the molecular mechanisms that increase production of basophils, eosinophils and mast cells. These are myeloid cell types essential for the type 2 immune response against worms and other parasites. However, overproduction of these cells can cause allergic inflammation, asthma and mast cell disorders. So, this paper’s findings also revealed a potential drug target for treating these diseases.
Two pathways for innate immune cells
Myeloid cells are part of the innate immune system, which provides rapid, first-line defence against bacteria, viruses and parasites. For a long time, scientists believed all myeloid cells arose from a single common progenitor. However, previous work from the Nerlov Group demonstrated that there are in fact two distinct developmental routes: one that generates neutrophils and macrophages (mainly involved in the type 1 immune response against bacteria and viruses), and another that produces basophils, eosinophils and mast cells (critical for the type 2 immune response against parasite infection).
While the bacterial-response pathway has been extensively studied, far less was known about how the parasite-response pathway is regulated.