Discover a protective protein that protects the ‘fountain of youth’ in the blood

Scientists have made the surprising discovery of a key protein that supports the production of healthy blood cells throughout life by regulating the body’s inflammatory response.

This study is the first to reveal a protein that plays a vital role in protecting blood stem cells, which consistently produce all the blood and immune cells the body needs, from premature aging.

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The discovery shows that the protein, known as YTHDF2, protects these stem cells from damage as the body fights infection and allows them to continue to function properly throughout life.

Scientists have long wondered how to protect these cells, called hematopoietic stem cells, from exhaustion while increasing the production of immune cells to fight infection.

Previous studies have shown that YTHDF2 plays an important role in the development of healthy blood cells, a process known as hematopoiesis.

A team of researchers, led by the University of Edinburgh and Queen Mary University in London, studied mice lacking YTHDF2 to better understand its role in blood stem cells.

They treated young mice with YTHDF2 deficiency with a chemical that mimics a viral infection to see if the protein had a role in the immune response or in inflammation.

The team found that in YTHDF2-deficient mice, hematopoietic stem cells exhibited signs of chronic inflammation that limited their long-term ability to make new blood cells.

During infection, these stem cells produce a large number of specialized immune cells.

But the resulting inflammatory process is an emergency response and requires careful regulation to prevent the depletion of stem cells and their inability to function properly in the future.

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The study is the first to show that YTHDF2 protects the long-term safety of hematopoietic stem cells by regulating the activity of genes that stimulate inflammatory processes.

In the absence of YTHDF2, stem cell damage in young mice altered the production of blood cell types, making them look like the blood of older mice.

During the aging process, hematopoietic stem cells lose their strength and their ability to make new blood cells, which makes older people more vulnerable to infections.

More studies are needed to reveal whether manipulating YTHDF2 levels during aging can help preserve stem cells and improve their ability to fight infection.

The study, conducted in collaboration with Harvard Medical School, George Spire House University, Goethe University and the University of Oxford, is published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine. It is supported by Cancer Research UK, the Barts Charity Institute and the Wellcome Foundation.

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Professor Kamil Kranik, from Barts Charity Cancer University in London, who led the study, said: “We know that the inflammatory pathways caused by infection lead blood stem cells to rapidly produce immune cells to help fight infection. However, these pathways can eventually become exhausted. “Stem cells or causing premature aging, and it is important to understand how this can be stopped. We hope that our new discovery that YTHDF2 prevents this fatigue due to inflammation can be exploited to protect the integrity of stem cells blood and treatment during infection. “

Professor Donal O’Carroll, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, who co-led the research, said: “Our investigations not only reveal the key importance of YTHDF2 in stem cell protection. blood, but also highlight the importance of mRNA changes in the process. ” .

“One of the main functions of YTHDF2 is to bind to the chemical modification of the m6A molecule on messenger RNA and promote degradation. Our work showing that YTHDF2 reduces the regulation of inflammatory gene activity may establish a model where modification of m6A mRNA regulates inflammatory pathways in blood as well as cells. ” Another fabric rod. “

Source: medicalxpress

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