https://goo.gl/6BqFhz
Published last week in Cell, a study by Santamaria and Kathy McCoy, PhD, from the University of Calgary’s Cumming School of Medicine (CSM) reveals a new mechanism in the gut microbiome that regulates pro- and anti-inflammatory cells. “We found that a protein expressed by gut bacteria called Bacteroides works to prevent IBD by rapidly recruiting white blood cells to kill a cell of the immune system that is responsible for orchestrating IBD,” says McCoy. “We think that this mechanism is likely involved in preventing most people from developing IBD.”
However, there is a flipside to the protein’s call for help. “In some people, the white blood cells overreact to the presence of the IBD bacteria. This is what causes problems like IBD — it’s not the bacteria itself, but the immune system’s severe reaction triggered by the protein. These same overstimulated white blood cells are also the cells that cause other autoimmune disorders like diabetes,” says Santamaria. “This discovery demonstrates the effect the gut microbiome has on the immune system and unearths a novel mechanism via which changes in the gut microbiome can increase the risk of autoimmune disorders. While we looked specifically at IBD, it is likely there are many proteins in the gut that contribute to the development of other autoimmune disorders via similar mechanisms.”