Medical Sciences Commons^™

Crohn’S Disease Linked Polymorphisms Associated With Autophagy Contribute To Th17 Cell Induction Through Increasing The Expression Of Il-1Β And Tnf-Α, Daniel Clayton Morse

Pursuit - The Journal of Undergraduate Research at The University of Tennessee

Abstract

Genome wide association studies (GWAS) have linked polymorphisms in autophagy genes to Crohn’s Disease (CD). Interestingly, recent studies have shown that defective autophagy leads to increased levels of the cytokines IL-1b and TNF-a, which play a critical role in Th17 cell differentiation. This is significant because CD is marked by a Th17 cell mediated inflammatory response. This article examines the manners in which defective expression of autophagy linked proteins, can indirectly amplify and sustain Th17 cell induction through increasing the production of Th17 positively differentiating cytokines (IL-1b and TNF-a) and decreasing the production …

Fty720 (Fingolimod) Provides Insight Into The Molecular Mechanisms Of Multiple Sclerosis, Madelyn Elizabeth Crawford

Pursuit - The Journal of Undergraduate Research at The University of Tennessee

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by a prolonged immune- mediated inflammatory response that targets myelin. Nearly all of the drugs approved for the treatment of MS are general immunosuppressants or only function in symptom management. The oral medication fingolimod, however, is reported to have direct therapeutic effects on cells of the central nervous system in addition to immunomodulatory functions. Fingolimod is known to interact with sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) receptors, and the most widely- accepted theory for its mechanism of action is functional antagonism of the receptor. This review examines significant neuromodulatory effects achieved by functional antagonism of the …