Science Snapshots
Stopping Leukemia in its Tracks
Researchers at Cincinnati Children’s Hosptial Medical Center have discovered a way to block the activity of the cancerous cell that generates some forms of acute myeloid leukemia. H. Leighton Grimes, PhD, of the Division of Immunobiology at Cincinnati Children’s, says that he and his team found that a gene called GFI1 acts “like a light switch” on the activity of other genes. GFI1 appears to help deter regular cells from transforming into cancerous cells. Although Dr. Grimes cautions that years of testing are needed before the findings can be used with patients, the discovery could lead to better treatments with fewer side effects.
Those Pesky Dust Mites
In what the American Asthma Foundation calls a “breakthrough discovery,” a research team led by Christopher Karp, MD, director of Molecular Immunology at Cincinnati Children’s, has found out why common household dust mites cause such strong asthma attacks in patients with allergic asthma. Researchers found that a protein in dust mite droppings mimics a protein involved in sensing when infection is present. This tricks the immune system into an immune response and drives the allergic response.
Herpes Mystery Solved
Researchers from Cincinnati Children’s and the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine have identified a protein that prompts latent herpes simplex virus (HSV) to reactivate and recur. In a recently published study, researchers solved the medical mystery of what causes HSV to periodically reactivate in latently infected neurons, prompting the virus to replicate.
“Our current findings show that the herpes simplex virus regulates this complex lifecycle through the expression of VP16,” said Nancy Sawtell, PhD, study author and researcher in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Cincinnati Children’s.
This understanding gives researchers crucial insight into controlling the spread of the virus. At present, there is no way to eliminate latent virus or to prevent the virus from reactivating.
The new finding provides scientists with a molecular target for designing better HSV vaccines and treatments. It also could help refine the engineering of HSV viruses used in cancer therapy, the investigators said.
