PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Cleveland Clinic researchers discover new bacterium that causes gut immunodeficiency

Findings lay the groundwork for potential new treatments for variety of inflammatory and infectious diseases including inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis

Cleveland Clinic researchers discover new bacterium that causes gut immunodeficiency
2024-09-26
(Press-News.org) September 26, 2024, Cleveland: Cleveland Clinic researchers have discovered a new bacterium that weakens the immune system in the gut, potentially contributing to certain inflammatory and infectious gut diseases.

The team identified the bacterium, Tomasiella immunophila (T. immunophila), which plays a key role in breaking down a crucial immune component of the gut’s multi-faceted protective immune barrier.

Identifying this bacterium is the first step to developing new treatments for a variety of inflammatory and infectious gut diseases. These conditions, including inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis, are associated with decreased levels of secretory immunoglobulin A (SIgA), an antibody that protects mucosal surfaces.

The study, published in Science, was led by Thaddeus Stappenbeck, M.D., Ph.D., chair of Cleveland Clinic’s Department of Inflammation and Immunity, and Qiuhe Lu, Ph.D., research associate and the paper’s first author.

“Our research represents a critical role of a specific component of the gut microbiome in human health and disease,” said Dr. Stappenbeck. “By identifying this specific bacterium, we have not only enhanced our understanding of gut diseases but also opened a promising new avenue for treatment. Pinpointing the culprit behind the breakdown of the gut’s protective adaptive immune barrier is a significant step toward developing much-needed therapies for conditions like inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis.”

In the gut, SIgA binds continuously to microbes, preventing them from reaching and damaging the body’s tissue. In previous research, the team discovered that intestinal bacteria could reduce SIgA levels, which can lead to increased risk of infection and excess inflammation.

In this new study, researchers found that T. immunophila’s presence in the gut increases susceptibility to pathogens and delays repair of the gut’s protective barrier. T. immunophila’s name is an homage to a pioneer in immunology. SIgA was discovered by Dr. Thomas Tomasi, who published his findings in a foundational paper in Science in 1963.

“Drs. Stappenbeck and Lu's rigorous and elegant study provides a key insight and an exciting potential mechanism for why some people have low or absent levels of SIgA in their gut, yet retain normal levels of SIgA in their bloodstream,” says Michael Silverman, M.D., Ph.D., a physician with the Division of Infectious Diseases at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Dr. Silverman, whose expertise includes immune system development, provided input on the research findings. “This discovery is quite important, as SIgA in the intestine functions as a critical component of the barrier for the trillions of microbes that live in our intestines,” Dr. Silverman said. “This study provides a new avenue to develop therapeutics to manipulate SIgA in the gut and improve health.”

“We know that there are a substantial number of patients that have this defect in are at risk for infection and inflammation in the intestine,” said Dr. Lu. “We surmised that a gut microbe that can degrade SIgA was the culprit. We believe that important therapeutic targets for a variety of inflammatory and infectious diseases in humans can be found through our work.” 

 

END


[Attachments] See images for this press release:
Cleveland Clinic researchers discover new bacterium that causes gut immunodeficiency

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Research reveals impact of gut microbiome on hormone levels in mice

2024-09-26
Francis Crick Institute press release Under strict embargo: 19:00hrs Thursday 26 September 2024 Peer reviewed Experimental study Animals Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute have shown that the balance of bacteria in the gut can influence symptoms of hypopituitarism in mice. They also showed that aspirin was able to improve hormone deficiency symptoms in mice with this condition. People with mutations in a gene called Sox3 develop hypopituitarism, where the pituitary gland doesn’t ...

Lignin-based sunscreen offers natural and high-performance UV protection

Lignin-based sunscreen offers natural and high-performance UV protection
2024-09-26
In a significant breakthrough for the cosmetics industry, researchers have developed a new type of sunscreen using lignin, a naturally abundant polymer, and titanium dioxide (TiO2). The study, led by Yarong Li and Zhiguang Tang, was published in the Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts and details the innovative use of a dual-modified lignin sub-microsphere to enhance the SPF and improve the color of sunscreens. Lignin, a byproduct of the pulp industry, is known for its UV-absorbing properties and antioxidant capabilities. However, its application in commercial sunscreens has been limited due ...

How are stretch reflexes modulated during voluntary movement?

How are stretch reflexes modulated during voluntary movement?
2024-09-26
How did the bodies of animals, including ours, become such fine-tuned movement machines? How vertebrates coordinate the eternal tug-o-war between involuntary reflexes and seamless voluntary movements is a mystery that Francisco Valero-Cuevas’ Lab in USC Alfred E. Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering, set out to understand. The Lab’s newest computational paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) adds to the thought leadership about the processing of sensory information and control of reflexes during voluntary movements—with implications as to how its disruption could ...

Organoids derived from gut stem cells reveal two distinct molecular subtypes of crohn’s disease

Organoids derived from gut stem cells reveal two distinct molecular subtypes of crohn’s disease
2024-09-26
Crohn’s disease — an autoimmune disorder — is characterized by chronic inflammation of the digestive tract, resulting in a slew of debilitating gastrointestinal symptoms that vary from patient to patient. Complications of the disease can destroy the gut lining, requiring repeated surgeries. The poorly understood condition, which currently has no cure and few treatment options, often strikes young people, causing significant ill-health throughout their lifetime. One barrier to making progress in developing treatments has been the lack of preclinical animal models that accurately ...

Rates of sudden unexpected infant death changed during the COVID-19 pandemic

2024-09-26
HERSHEY, Pa. — The risk of sudden unexpected infant death (SUID) and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) increased during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the pre-pandemic period, especially in 2021, according to a new study led by researchers at the Penn State College of Medicine. Monthly increases in SUID in 2021 coincided with a resurgence of seasonal respiratory viruses, particularly respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), suggesting that the shift in SUID rates may be associated with altered infectious disease transmission. They ...

Genetic rescue for rare red foxes?

Genetic rescue for rare red foxes?
2024-09-26
A rescue effort can take many forms – a life raft, a firehose, an airlift. For animals whose populations are in decline from inbreeding, genetics itself can be a lifesaver.  Genomic research led by the University of California, Davis, reveals clues about montane red foxes’ distant past that may prove critical to their future survival. The study, published in the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution, examines the potential for genetic rescue to help restore populations of these mountain-dwelling red foxes. The research is especially relevant for the estimated ...

Extreme heat impacts daily routines and travel patterns, study finds

2024-09-26
A groundbreaking new study conducted by a team of researchers from Arizona State University, University of Washington and the University of Texas at Austin reveals that extreme heat significantly alters how people go about their daily lives, influencing everything from time spent at home to transportation choices. The study, titled "Understanding How Extreme Heat Impacts Human Activity-Mobility and Time Use Patterns," was recently published in Transportation Research Part D and underscores the urgent need for policy action ...

ReadCube expands literature management with new AI Assistant and comprehensive search

ReadCube expands literature management with new AI Assistant and comprehensive search
2024-09-26
Digital Science announces ReadCube Pro, an AI-powered expansion of ReadCube, offering researchers new tools to simplify and accelerate literature management and literature monitoring workflows. The new AI Assistant and Literature Monitoring in ReadCube – an award-winning leader in literature management and full-text document delivery – transform the way research teams access, organize, review and monitor scholarly literature by providing them with enhanced search capabilities while helping to significantly reduce time spent ...

New mutation linked to early-onset Parkinsonism

New mutation linked to early-onset Parkinsonism
2024-09-26
Leuven, 26 September 2024 –  A team of scientists led by Prof. Patrik Verstreken (VIB-KU Leuven) has identified a new genetic mutation that may cause a form of early-onset Parkinsonism. The mutation, located in a gene called SGIP1, was discovered in an Arab family with a history of Parkinson's symptoms that began at a young age. The study reveals that this mutation affects how brain cells communicate, providing new insights into the disease's development and potential treatment strategies. A genetic clue to Parkinsonism Parkinsonism is a group of neurological disorders that share similar symptoms, including motor dysfunction ...

Bacteria involved in gum disease linked to increased risk of head and neck cancer

2024-09-26
More than a dozen bacterial species among the hundreds that live in people’s mouths have been linked to a collective 50% increased chance of developing head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), a new study shows. Some of these microbes had previously been shown to contribute to periodontal disease, serious gum infections that can eat away at the jawbone and the soft tissues that surround teeth. Experts have long observed that those with poor oral health are statistically more vulnerable than those with healthier ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Novel treatment combination improves progression-free survival in metastatic, estrogen-receptor-positive HER-2-negative breast cancer

ESMO 2025: Trial results show belzutifan shrinks rare neuroendocrine tumors and improves symptoms in patients

ESMO 2025: Dual targeted therapy shows promise in previously treated advanced kidney cancer patients

New generation of Antibody-Drug Conjugates (ADCs) shows unprecedented promise in early-stage disease

Sylvester Cancer Tip Sheet for October 2025

Three science and technology leaders elected to Hertz Foundation Board of Directors

Jump Trading CSO Kevin Bowers elected to Hertz Foundation Board of Directors

Former Inscripta CEO Sri Kosaraju elected to Hertz Foundation Board of Directors

Citadel’s Jordan Chetty elected to Hertz Foundation Board of Directors

McGill research flags Montreal snow dump, inactive landfills as major methane polluters

A lightweight and rapid bidirectional search algorithm

Eighty-five years of big tree history available in one place for the first time

MIT invents human brain model with six major cell types to enable personalized disease research, drug discovery

Health and economic air quality co-benefits of stringent climate policies

How immune cells deliver their deadly cargo

How the brain becomes a better listener: How focus enhances sound processing

Processed fats found in margarines unlikely to affect heart health

Scientists discover how leukemia cells evade treatment

Sandra Shi MD, MPH, named 2025 STAT Wunderkind

Treating liver disease with microscopic nanoparticles

Chemicals might be hitching a ride on nanoplastics to enter your skin

Pregnant patients with preexisting high cholesterol may have elevated CV risk

UC stroke experts discuss current and future use of AI tools in research and treatment

The Southern Ocean’s low-salinity water locked away CO2 for decades, but...

OHSU researchers develop functional eggs from human skin cells

Most users cannot identify AI bias, even in training data

Hurricane outages: Analysis details the where, and who, of increased future power cuts

Craters on surface of melanoma cells found to serve as sites for tumor killing

Research Spotlight: Mapping overlooked challenges in stroke recovery

Geographic and temporal patterns of screening for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer in the US

[Press-News.org] Cleveland Clinic researchers discover new bacterium that causes gut immunodeficiency
Findings lay the groundwork for potential new treatments for variety of inflammatory and infectious diseases including inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis