Scientists uncover a genetic on/off switch for immune responses

Scientists are keeping their eye on a new discovery published in the November 2011 print issue of the FASEB Journal (http://www.fasebj.org) that explains what causes some genes to go out of control. Scientists have identified a “cellular switch,” called eye transformer, that controls the flow of information from chemical signals outside of the cell to genes in the cell nucleus.

This study demonstrates that when eye transformer is turned off, the information pathway it controls (the “JAK/STAT pathway”) hyper-activates. Because this pathway exists in humans and is involved in many conditions such as cancer, severe immune deficiencies, autoimmune diseases, and allergies, this discovery reveals a new and potentially important drug target for these conditions.