Immune System Activation Gene Discovered

A gene which plays a key role in activating the immune system - andperhaps also in spurring on HIV, the virus that causes AIDS - has been discovered and cloned by researchers at Israel's Weizmann Institute of Science.

The gene, called NIK, helps remove a molecular "brake" that keeps the immune system in check. Its discovery could lead to the development of drugs to regulate the immune system in a variety of diseases. Drugs that block NIK's effects might be designed to inhibit unwanted immune responses in autoimmune diseases such as juvenile diabetes or rheumatoid arthritis. Conversely, drugs that enhance NIK's effects might be designed to augment immunity in immune deficiency diseases.

NF-kB In Immune Response Scientists have known for some two decades that a protein called nuclear factor-kB is a key molecule in the immune reponse. NF-kB belongs to the class of proteins known as transcription factors, which "switch on" certain genes and cause specific reactions to take place. In particular, NF-kB switches on several genes involved in immune and inflammatory responses to disease and infection.