Author: Aldyarbek Nurlan
Translator: Tursunova Balkadisha
Editor: Anastasia Merentsova
Research shows that our immune system can play an active role in shaping the composition of our microbiome, which are closely related to health and disease. Mice were used for the study.
When confronted with a pathogen, b cells of the immune system enter areas called germ centers, where they "learn" to produce specific antibodies until a single B cell appears. This B cell, dubbed the "winning clone," replicates by generating a crowd of cells that produce powerful antibodies.
The researchers decided to study how B cells interact with bacteria in the gut - with an abundance of potential targets. Looking at the germ centers that form in the gut of mice, they found that about 1 in 10 of these gut-related germ centers had clear winning clones. They then focused on the winning B cells and found that their antibodies were indeed designed to bind with ever-increasing effectiveness to specific types of bacteria living in the gut.
The data obtained prove that even in the gut, where the microbiome consists of millions of micro-organisms and compete, germ centers manage to choose specific, permanent winners.
"Now we can investigate the winners and consider the evolution of germ centers as an environmental problem. This opens the door to a completely new field of research, " the researchers say.
Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/10/201029115809.htm
