Scientists and laymen have generally assumed that living organisms do best to avoid chaos in their regulatory systems. But researchers recently discovered that chaotic swings in the intensity of a certain protein within human cells can boost the immune system and provide resistance to several serious diseases.
Two researchers at the University of Copenhagen’s Niels Bohr Institute, Professor Mogens Hogh Jensen and Mathias Heltberg, a graduate student in biocomplexity, have discovered a new mechanism in the way bodily cells regulate themselves, according to a story in Neurosciencenews.com.
The researchers investigated a protein called NF-kB, which is produced within cells, and has a vital role in maintaining the body’s immune system. They discovered that chaotic swings in the concentration of NF-kB can activate genes that are not otherwise activated. They explain that when the concentration of the protein, which fluctuates over tie, is in a chaotic state, it activates different genes in ways that are most effective in boosting immunity. Chaotic dynamics is the branch of mathematics that focuses on the behavior of dynamical systems.
“The results can have a tremendous impact on our understanding of how the immune system functions and how the incidence of some of the most serious illnesses, including diabetes, cancer and Alzheimer’s, might be avoided., said Dr. Jensen, a professor of biocomplexity. “For example, we know that cancer is related to a failure of signaling within the body. So, to avoid cancer, it is imperative to have the right dynamic at work in cells.”
Heltberg suggested the discovery cold lead to new medications and treatments. “Therapies could also involve the withdrawal and testing of cells from a body to gauge whether cells are in the right condition to have the correct swings. If they aren’t, it may be possible to predict and discover illnesses before they occur,” he said.
The research is published in the January 8 online issue of Nature Communications.
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