Researchers at National Jewish Health have uncovered a previously unknown mechanism that helps drive inflammation in allergic asthma, offering new insight into how the disease develops and potentially revealing new targets for future therapies.
The study, published in the journal Science Advances, was led by Kapil Sirohi, Ph.D., a researcher with National Jewish Health, and focused on a protein called CBX7, which was previously believed to primarily suppress gene activity in the cell nucleus. Researchers were surprised to discover that CBX7 can also activate inflammatory genes and help sustain immune system signaling that contributes to asthma.
The research team found that CBX7 becomes activated after exposure to allergens. Once activated, the protein uses a dual mechanism to drive inflammation: It functions as a chemical messenger in the cytoplasm while simultaneously relaying information to the nucleus, where it engages other transcription factors to promote cytokine production.
Ultimately, this dual action supports a chain of molecular signals that keeps those immune cells activated.
A broader role for CBX7
