Immunity system complexity: APRIL protein necessaryl (Introduction)

by David Turell , Saturday, June 06, 2020, 00:34 (1412 days ago) @ David Turell

Without it plasmacytes don't produce immmunoglobulins:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/06/200602110119.htm

"The immune system depends on a complex interaction between various cells for proper functioning. In a new study, researchers from Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) discovered that an absence of the protein APRIL in humans results in the underdevelopment of antibody-producing plasmacytes causing common variable immunodeficiency (CVID), a condition which is characterized by increased susceptibility to infections of affected patients.

"Plasmacytes, whose lifelong task is to keep producing immunoglobulins, are a key component of the immune system. They develop when B cells, a type of immune cell, are activated by T cells and other blood cells, called myeloid cells, and switch from producing low-quality to high-quality antibodies. Because each plasmacyte produces one specific antibody, their development is closely regulated and thus depends on a complex interaction between B cells and myeloid cells. A protein that is part of this process is APRIL (A PRoliferation-Inducing Ligand), which is produced by myeloid cells to induce the development of plasmacytes from B cells. Could defects in APRIL result in immunodeficiency in humans? Until now this was unknown."

Comment: How did chance evolution find just the right molecule to run this process? Only design fits.