Key points:
- New research is bolstering scientific understanding behind why some people are more prone to allergies than others.
- Researchers show the ETS1 protein plays a role in controlling CD4+ T helper cells, which are important in allergic reactions.
- The findings demonstrate how even small differences in DNA can disturb the balance between immune cells.
Researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania identified how genetic differences that alter a specific protein—called ETS1—can affect the body's response to allergies. In an animal model, small changes in ETS1 led to an increased likelihood for allergic reactions that cause inflammation.
In the study, published in Immunity, researchers used genetic sequencing and imaging techniques to show that the ETS1 protein plays a role in controlling CD4+ T helper cells, which are important in allergic reactions and help orchestrate the immune response by activating and coordinating other immune cells. DNA interactions within the genomic segment encompassing the ETS1 gene control how much of the ETS1 protein is made.
“We discovered that these interactions, work like a dimmer switch,” said study author Golnaz Vahedi, associate professor of genetics. “When there are changes in the DNA in this area, it can mess up the dimmer switch, causing problems with controlling the ETS1 protein. This can lead to imbalances in our immune cells and cause allergic inflammations."
While there has been progress in pinpointing genetic traits that follow predictable patterns—like those passed down from parents—it's been challenging for scientists to analyze conditions that involve many different common genes. These complex conditions cannot be explained by simply turning off one gene. Instead, they may be caused by small changes in the DNA that affect how genes work together.
However, researchers still do not know much about how these changes in DNA relate to how our genes are organized or how they affect how genes are expressed in most complex diseases.
“This work demonstrates how small differences in our DNA can disturb the balance between our immune cells, resulting in significant observable characteristics in patients,” said study author Jorge Henao-Mejia, associate professor of pathology and laboratory medicine. “This phenomenon may occur in other common diseases, such as autoimmune disorders.”