Medical Programme Lecture - Unravelling Serpentine Receptors
Dr Emma Wise – Biology teacher and immunologist gave the second David Game Medical Programme lecture on Friday 22nd March. The lecture focused on chemical attractions and receptors in the immune system and how these could be related to many common illnesses and conditions.
Chemokines (a family of small protein chemical attractant molecules) are important in directing the migration of leukocytes (white blood cells) via specific interactions with chemokine receptors expressed on these cells. Whilst these interactions are essential for the homeostatic migration of leukocytes, excessive or inadvertent production of chemokines has been implicated as a key event in the development of many inflammatory diseases.
In this seminar the role of chemokines in directing the immunopathology observed in allergy and atherosclerosis was considered. Also discussed was the role of the chemokine receptor CCR5 as a co-receptor for HIV including the advantages and disadvantages of being a homozygote for a common mutation in this receptor.
