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Immune cells in skin may indicate existence of harmful molecules

Researchers in the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia have discovered a mechanism in which immune cells in the skin act as a barrier to infection, according to study results.

“Lipids are potent stimulators of the immune response and they are produced by pathogens, allergens and our own cells,” Dale I. Godfrey, of the department of microbiology and immunology at the University of Melbourne, said in a press release. “This work shows that the means by which the immune system detects lipids is very different to the mechanism underlying recognition of proteins.”

The researchers sequenced the BK6 T-cell antigen receptor (TCR) and converted it into a Jurkat human T-lymphocyte cell line. After converting the TCR, the researchers noted a staining of the cells by CD1a tetramers that were not loaded with any defined antigen. The researchers wrote that the cells were likely preloaded with endogenous ligands.

“This was unexpected because tetramers of MHC, MR1, or CD1 do not typically bind to TCRs until defined antigens have been loaded within the antigen-binding cleft, which alters the surface of the antigen-presenting molecule to generate complexes whose avidity exceeds a threshold needed for distinct staining,” the researchers wrote.

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.