Scientists at the Scripps Research Institute have reported on compounds that are able to suppress severity and disease progression in animal models of multiple sclerosis. The compounds, exemplified by SR1001, act by selectively suppressing a subset of T-helper cells characterised…
Blog Archives
A Histidine Kinase as a Target for Autoimmune Diseases
The nucleoside diphosphate kinases (NDPK) comprise a family of 10 members encoded by the Nme (non-metatstatic cell) gene family. These kinases are capable of transferring the γ-phosphate of nucleoside triphosphates to nucleoside diphosphates, which is accomplished via a phospho-histidine intermediate.…
Genetic Basis for Alopecia Areata
Alopecia areata is a type of hair loss that typically begins with one or more small bald patches on the scalp, beard area or elsewhere. The patches appear quite quickly and the hair may re-grow after a few months –…
Beating Off the Attack in RA
Although the exact causes of autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis are unknown, tissue damage is mediated, at least in part, by the (inappropriate) action of effector T cells. Regulatory T cells are a specialised population of T cells which…
Narcolepsy Established as Autoimmune Disorder
Although the disorder is not very well known, narcolepsy is thought to affect 1 in 2000 individuals and this figure may be higher as a consequence of under-reporting and under-diagnosis. The most common symptom is excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), which…
PPAR-δ Agonists Could Help Lupus Sufferers
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE or lupus) is a chronic autoimmune disease that can affect any part of the body. Lupus cannot be cured, although symptoms can be managed and the risk of organ damage minimised by treatment with immunosuppressants, NSAIDS…
Homing in on Crohn’s Disease
Crohn’s disease is an inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal tract that causes abdominal pain, diarrhea and vomiting. First described by Burrill Bernard Crohn and co-workers in 1932, the disease is believed to be an autoimmune disorder but the precise causes…
Endolysosomal TLRs and Lupus
Lupus erythematosus is a chronic autoimmune disease that, worldwide, is more common than leukaemia, multiple sclerosis, and muscular dystrophy. There are three recognised forms of lupus: discoid (cutaneous) lupus which affects the skin, systemic lupus (SLE) which attacks multiple organ…
New Trigger for RA
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, typically progressive, autoimmune disease that primarily affects the joints although it can damage other tissues, including heart, lung, and eyes. There is currently no cure for RA and the goal of treatment is reduce…
Selective Inhibition of the Immunoproteasome
Proteasomes are abundant and ubiquitous multi-protein complexes capable of degrading almost any protein into oligopeptides. The 20S proteasome is composed of 14 subunits (seven α and seven β) arranged in four rings to form a barrel, the ends of which…
