Researchers study the behavior of regulatory T cells to understand periodontal disease
In diseases characterized by bone loss -such as periodontitis, rheumatoid arthritis, and osteoporosis- there is a lot that scientists still don t understand. What is the role of the immune response in the process? What happens to the regulatory mechanisms that protect bone?
In a paper published recently in
Scientific Reports, researchers from the Forsyth Institute and the Universidad de Chile describe a mechanism that unlocks a piece of the puzzle. Looking at periodontal disease in a mouse model, scientists found that a specific type of T cell, known as regulatory T cells, start behaving in unexpected ways. These cells lose their ability to regulate bone loss and instead begin promoting inflammation.
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IMAGE: Dr. Carla Alvarez, a postdoctoral researcher at Forsyth and lead author of the paper. view more
Credit: Matthew Modoono/Forsyth Institute
In diseases characterized by bone loss -such as periodontitis, rheumatoid arthritis, and osteoporosis- there is a lot that scientists still don t understand. What is the role of the immune response in the process? What happens to the regulatory mechanisms that protect bone?
In a paper published recently in
Scientific Reports, researchers from the Forsyth Institute and the Universidad de Chile describe a mechanism that unlocks a piece of the puzzle. Looking at periodontal disease in a mouse model, scientists found that a specific type of T cell, known as regulatory T cells, start behaving in unexpected ways. These cells lose their ability to regulate bone loss and instead begin promoting inflammation.