iRhomADAM · Uncovering the role of the iRhom2-ADAM17 interaction in inflammatory signalling

Uncovering the role of the iRhom2-ADAM17 interaction in inflammatory signalling

Most of the cells in our body have the ability to detect damages and infections, and recruit the immune system to the "crime scene" to clear out the cause of harm. The immune system will then execute a number of action plans, the first one is inflammation. In normal, healthy situations, the cells only send signals to recruit the immune system when they are actually harmed, and they cease their signal once the damage was cleared. This way, inflammation only takes place when it is needed, and it remains restricted to the site and to the duration of the injury. However, in some situation, the regulation of inflammation is compromised, and immune cells will be active even when they are not actually needed. This can cause serious damage to healthy tissues. Therefore, it is important to understand the programs that cells use to recruit the immune system, as well as the programs the immune system uses to receive these signals. Once we decipher the details of these programs, i.e., which are the participating proteins, what activates each protein, what is the outcome that each protein activation has, etc; we can design treatments for conditions were the regulation of inflammation is lost. This project aims to shed light on some of the action plans that cells use once they detect that they were infected with a virus. More specifically, in this project I am studying the role of a protein called iRhom2 in the cells' response to viruses. iRhom2 is an elusive protein that normally resides in membranes that encapsulate our cells or in membranes that are found inside the cells. Not much is known about its function, but previous work from our group and from other groups shows that iRhom2 is involved in cancer and in inflammation. My aim was to expand the knowledge on iRhom2 to the distinct immune action plan called "the antiviral response". So far my work is showing that while iRhom2 is important in inflammation, when it comes to antiviral activity, iRhom2 actually tunes that action plan down. I am currently still working on understanding exactly what iRhom2 does in this cellular program, with a special emphasis on what are the features that allow it to promote inflammation while suppressing antiviral activity. If iRhom2 is chosen as a drug target for chronic inflammation (inflammation that is not restricted in time and in place), it is essential to understand its full role in immunity, in order to make sure that the future drug has no serious side effects.

Текст от CORDIS, на английски · Данни: CORDIS, © Европейски съюз