FURIN IN IMMUNITY

PROPROTEIN CONVERTASE FURIN AS A REGULATOR OF IMMUNE RESPONSES

Coordinatore	TAMPEREEN YLIOPISTO    more  Organization address address: Kalevantie 4 city: TAMPERE postcode: 33014 contact info Titolo: Ms. Nome: Hannele Cognome: Auffermann Email: send email Telefono: -35515660 Fax: -35518615
Nazionalità Coordinatore	Finland [FI]
Totale costo	100˙000 €
EC contributo	100˙000 €
Programma	FP7-PEOPLE Specific programme "People" implementing the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007 to 2013)
Code Call	FP7-PEOPLE-IRG-2008
Funding Scheme	MC-IRG
Anno di inizio	2009
Periodo (anno-mese-giorno)	2009-06-01   -   2013-05-31

 Partecipanti

#	participant	country	role	EC contrib. [€]
1	TAMPEREEN YLIOPISTO  Organization address address: Kalevantie 4 city: TAMPERE postcode: 33014 contact info Titolo: Ms. Nome: Hannele Cognome: Auffermann Email: send email Telefono: -35515660 Fax: -35518615	FI (TAMPERE)	coordinator	100˙000.00

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'Backgound: Interleukin (IL)-12 induced T helper (Th) 1 polarization is critical for adequate cell-medated immune responses against intracellular pathogens such as M. tuberculosis. To gain insights into Th1 type immunity I performed a genome wide analysis for IL-12 target genes. The results unequivocally identified proprotein convertases (PC) furin as a novel IL-12/Stat4 target gene. Furin has been previously linked to the pathogenesis of several diseases including metastatic cancers, cystic fibrosis and infectious diseases. Consequently, furin inhibitors have been proposed as possible therapies for such diseases. I have explored furin’s physiological role in T cells using a T cell-specific furin knockout. The striking finding is that conditional deletion of furin in T cells results in loss of peripheral tolerance and systemic autoimmune disease. Objective: To evaluate the role of furin and as a regulator of immune responses; specific aims:1. Furin’s molecular mechanisms of action in T cells, 2. The role for furin in diseases of broken peripheral tolerance, 3. Furin as a regulator of innate immunity. Significance: Studying furin in T cells will help to explain the pathogenesis impaired peripheral tolerance observed in diseases like IBD and celiac disease, and understand the regulation of Th1 type immune responses that are critical in combating intracellular pathogens, such as M. tuberculosis. On the other hand, furin plays also an important role in the activation of pathogens (e.g. HIVgp160, B. Athracii toxins) and upregulates metastatic activity of cancers and pathogenesis of cystic fibrosis. This research will tackle the cell-type specific function and regulation of proportein convertase activity by identifying novel furin targets and regulators of its activity. This will enable creating more specific, cell-type specific means for furin regulation; this will be instrumental in avoiding unwarranted side effects of general furin inhibitors in clinic.'