AI Summary
Researchers at MedUni Vienna have discovered a protein called Rinl that may be associated with the development of autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis. Rinl, found in T cells, could be a target for new immunomodulatory therapies. The function of Rinl in the immune system has been deciphered, with its role in controlling the development of follicular T helper cells being identified.
Autoimmune diseases are complex illnesses, the causes of which are diverse and have not yet been fully explained. A research team at MedUni Vienna has now discovered an immunoregulatory protein that could be linked to the development of autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. The identified component of the immune system is called “Rinl”, which could provide a new target for the development of immunomodulatory therapies. The study results were recently published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine.
In the course of their research, the team led by Nicole and Ruth Herbst (Centre for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology at MedUni Vienna) found particularly high levels of Rinl in special immune cells, the T cells. Rinl, like its siblings Rin 1-3, is a member of the Ras interaction protein (Rin) family and is a comparatively young object of research. While a deficiency or excess of Rin 1-3 proteins has already been linked in recent years in international studies, for example, to cancer, Alzheimer’s disease or the spinal disease scoliosis, Rinl has so far been little researched.
Mechanism in the immune system deciphered
The function of this protein in the immune system has been clarified by the scientific team as part of the current study. “By analysing mouse models and cultures of human T cells, we have discovered that Rinl controls the development of follicular T helper cells, the Tfh,” say study leaders Nicole Boucheron and Ruth Herbst. Tfh are a subset of T cells and support the maturation of other