Most Important Gene in the Immune System Identified

Gene discovery unlocks mysteries to our immunity. The new gene is identified by Australia's national science agency CSIRO and it is believed that the gene has existed for 500 million years, but its potential is only now understood.

Highlights:

Gene that controls the immune system has been identified.
This gene has existed for 500 million years but has been discovered only recently.
The gene is called C6orf106 or C6.

Australia's national science agency CSIRO has identified a new gene that plays a critical role in regulating the body's immune response to infection and disease.

A new gene that plays a critical role in controlling the body's immune response to infection and disease has been identified by experts at the Australia's national science agency CSIRO.

Autoimmune Disorders - Types - Symptoms - Signs - Diagnosis - Treatment
Autoimmune disorders occur when the immune system fails to recognize the body as ‘self’ and attacks it.

‘A new gene called “C6orf106” or C6 has been identified by a recent research as the key regulating gene in the body's immune response to infection and disease.’

The discovery could lead to the development of new treatments for influenza, arthritis and even cancer.

The gene, called C6orf106 or "C6", controls the production of proteins involved in infectious diseases, cancer and diabetes. The gene has existed for 500 million years, but its potential is only now understood.

"Our immune system produces proteins called cytokines that help fortify the immune system and work to prevent viruses and other pathogens from replicating and causing disease," CSIRO researcher Dr Cameron Stewart said.

Latent Autoimmune Diabetes (LADA) - Facts, Diagnosis and Management
LADA or Latent Autoimmune Diabetes of Adulthood is a form of type 1 autoimmune diabetes that can be mistaken for type 2 diabetes because it develops in older adults.

"C6 regulates this process by switching off the production of certain cytokines to stop our immune response from spiraling out of control.

"The cytokines regulated by C6 are implicated in a variety of diseases including cancer, diabetes and inflammatory disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis."

Super Immune Boosters
Grab these foods of the supermarket shelves to pack in the immune boost. Read on…

The discovery helps improve our understanding of our immune system, and it is hoped that this understanding will enable scientists to develop new, more targeted therapies.

"Even though the human genome was first fully sequenced in 2003, there are still thousands of genes that we know very little about," Dr Rebecca Ambrose, a former CSIRO researcher, now based at the Hudson Institute of Medical Research said.

Autoimmune Hepatitis - Causes, Types, Symptoms, Complications, Diagnosis & Treatment
Autoimmune hepatitis is a type of chronic liver inflammation that responds well to immunosuppressive medications, but may require liver transplant.

"It's exciting to consider that C6 has existed for more than 500 million years, preserved and passed down from simple organisms all the way to humans. But only now are we gaining insights into its importance."

Having discovered the function of C6, the researchers are awarded the privilege of naming it, and are enlisting the help of the community to do so.

"The current name, C6orf106, reflects the gene's location within the human genome, rather than relating to any particular function," Dr Stewart said.

"We think we can do better than that, and are inviting suggestions from the public."

A shortlist of names will be made available for final approval by a governing third party.

The breakthrough builds on decades of work in infectious diseases, by researchers from CSIRO, Australia's national science agency.

References:

Gene Discovery Unlocks Mysteries to our Immunity - (https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-07/ca-gdu062918.php)