Unlocking the Mystery Behind Immune System Memory

With the cold and flu season in full gear, the news media has been urging people to get their flu shots, wash their hands often, and make sure to keep their immune system strong. Australian scientists have discovered part of the mystery behind the molecular mechanism that goes on in our body’s immune system memory. They have found the function of a gene called STAT3, which acts in an indirect way that guides chemical messenger molecules to different destinations throughout the body.

A vaccination, like the flu shot, preps the immune system so that if we happen to encounter the virus, our body will be able to remember it and quickly make a surplus of antibodies to fight off the “intruder”. Immune cells that have been primed, are known as "memory B cells", which act differently from "simple B cells" that have never seen that particular infection before. These memory B cells perform in such a prompt and efficient manner that most people do not even realize that they have been infected.

People who have Hyper IgE Syndrome, a rare immunodeficiency disorder caused by mutations in the STAT2 gene, have antibodies that are not able to attack the foreign substances as efficiently. Studies conducted by Professor Stuart Tangye, Dr, Elissa Deenick, and Danielle Avery have found that the simple B cell in Hyper IgE patients have a lack of response in important signaling molecules, while the memory B cells continue to perform as well as those in healthy people. The researchers realized that in comparison to the memory B cells, in which only need a weak chemical signal to generate a massive antibody response, the simple B cells require a much more powerful signal to just initiate the antibody production. Professor Tangye explains that the STAT3 gene directly affects the creation of memory cells, which is why patients who have a mutation on that gene are not able to generate an effective secondary response to infection. The STAT3 gene also direct various messenger molecules, also known as cytokines, where to go within the cell, which in return attract the memory cells in the the same area.

Fundamentally, it would appear that the STAT3 gene is the key to the molecular mystery of our immune system memory because without it our memory cells would not be able to form properly. Having a better understanding towards our immune system will not only help improve our vaccines, but will also develop the field of preventative care.

Original Article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/11/131111102423.htm