Annexins in the regulation of the immune response
The understanding of the molecular mechanisms important in cellular proliferation during inflammatory, autoimmune and neoplastic disease is essential in the development of rational approaches to diagnosis and treatment. Therefore, it is critical to identify genes and proteins that could be dysregulated in these diseases. My lab is interested in the functions of a particular endogenous anti-inflammatory protein, annexin-1 (ANX-1).
ANX-1 is mostly recognised as the anti-inflammatory endogenous protein involved in the multiple actions of glucocorticoid steroids. Glucocorticoids are used very widely in the treatment of many inflammatory conditions and diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis and asthma. A loss of ANX-1 expression leads to GC insensitivity and exacerbation of inflammation. The importance of ANX-1 in antigen presentation and T cell biology has not been addressed. We plan to study the role of ANX-1 in immune cell function, activation and homing to lymph nodes using cells from ANX-1 deficient mice. These studies will identify if ANX-1 expression is important for immune cell function and trafficking, and are specifically addressed to answer the question if a pathological loss of ANX-1, which occurs during immunological disease can alter the function of the immune system. In this regard, potentially useful therapeutic targets may be discovered for the effective treatment of immune-related diseases.