Immunology Blog March 2024

Chemokines are a class of small signaling proteins, or cytokines, that play a crucial role in directing the migration and positioning of immune cells within the body. The name "chemokine" is derived from their ability to induce chemotaxis

Engineering of part of the main Human antibody (IgG), sop termed Fc-engineering can enhancing plasma antibody half-life, mucosal antibody distribution as well as killing of cancer cells and bacteria

Histone deacetylases (HDACs) regulate gene expression and innate immunity. Histone deacetylases are a class of enzymes that remove acetyl groups (O=C-CH3) from an ε-N-acetyl lysine amino acid on both histone and non-histone proteins. HDACs allow histones to wrap the DNA more tightly. This is important because DNA is wrapped around histones, and DNA expression is regulated by acetylation and de-acetylation

Plasma cells that emerge after infection / immunisation exhibit heterogeneous lifespans; most survive for days to months, whereas others persist for decades, providing antigen-specific long-term protection.