A groundbreaking study led by researchers at NYU Langone Health has revealed the crucial role of a newly identified type of immune cell in preventing food allergies. These cells, known as tolerogenic dendritic cells, have been found in the intestines and act as peacekeepers, helping the body distinguish between harmful invaders and harmless substances such as food proteins.
Tolerogenic dendritic cells are specialized immune cells that present food-derived antigens to T cells in a way that instructs them not to react aggressively. Instead of triggering inflammation, these T cells become regulatory T cells, which actively suppress immune responses and help maintain tolerance to dietary proteins and friendly gut microbes.
These cells require two proteins, Retinoic Acid-Related Orphan Receptor-gamma-t (RORγt) and PR domain-containing 16 (Prdm16), to function correctly. Mice that lacked these properly functioning dendritic cells showed a higher susceptibility to food allergies and asthma due to increased inflammation and reduced regulatory T cells.
Earlier work by the same research team demonstrated that these dendritic cells also mediate immune tolerance toward beneficial bacteria in the gut. This new research strengthens the idea that these cells serve as central regulators of immune peace, not only with microbes but also with food.
The research team was able to identify human equivalents of these cells by analyzing intestinal tissue and public genetic datasets. Though their abundance and broader role in the human immune system remain uncertain, this discovery opens new doors for investigating tolerance-based therapies for food allergies and possibly autoimmune diseases like Crohn’s disease.
Senior author Dr. Dan Littman suggests that this finding could pave the way for novel treatments. For example, introducing tolerogenic dendritic cells might help individuals with peanut allergies by encouraging the development of regulatory T cells that suppress allergic reactions.
The team plans to further investigate how these dendritic cells develop and what environmental or molecular signals guide them. Understanding this could enhance the ability to engineer immune tolerance and treat a range of inflammatory and allergic diseases.
The research, published online in Nature on April 14, was supported by several NIH grants. Key contributors included Liuhui Fu, Rabi Upadhyay, Maria Pokrovskii, and others from NYU Langone. While Dr. Littman is involved with several biotech companies, none were involved in this study.
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