Genes for immunity are not the main thing

The environment affects the immune system more than genes

Julia Korowski, XX2 CENTURY, based on VIB-KU Leuven: Where You Live Shapes Your Immune System More than Your Genes

The immunity of different people differs no less than fingerprints. And although we all inherit a unique set of genes that helps us cope with infections, studies have shown that genetics determines only 20-40% of individual differences in the immune system, and the rest is responsible for biography and the environment – that is, where and with whom we live. Researchers from the Catholic University of Leuven (Netherlands Katholieke Universiteit Leuven) and the Babraham Institute published a review in the journal Trends in Immunology, in which they summarized everything that scientists currently know about factors affecting immunity (Liston et al., Shaping Variation in the Human Immune System).

 "The genetic code has already been hacked, although not immediately, and now we are gradually beginning to decipher the immune code and abandon the simplistic idea that there is only one type of immune system," says lead author of the study Adrian Liston (Adrian Liston). "Diversity is not just programmed into our genes – it appears due to the fact that genes react differently to the environment."

Long-term infections are mainly responsible for the differences in the immune system of different people. If someone has herpes or shingles, the virus has much more opportunities to interact with the immune system. This interaction slowly changes the cellular composition of the immune system and makes it more sensitive to this virus, but at the same time it becomes easier for other infections to overcome its defenses. The immunity of those who managed to avoid these infections does not undergo changes and, even despite a cold or fever, remains stable.

It's different for older people. Researchers have shown that age alters the immune system's response to a threat. As we age, the thymus gland in the chest gradually stops producing T-lymphocytes, which help fight infection. Without new T cells, older people are more likely to get sick and respond worse to vaccines.

However, the differences can be overcome: studies have shown that air quality, food, stress levels, sleep and lifestyle together have a strong impact on our immune response. Couples living together have similar immunity, and it differs from the immunity of strangers.

Now scientists intend to find out how it is possible to influence immunity and health by changing the environment. "In order to play with the immune code, we first need to figure out what factors shape our immune system," Liston explains. "That's why the fact that the environment is more important than genetics is great: we can change it."

T-lymphocytes (T-cells) are lymphocytes that develop in mammals in the thymus from precursors – pretimocytes entering it from the red bone marrow. In the thymus, T-lymphocytes differentiate by acquiring T-cell receptors and co-receptors (surface markers). They play an important role in the acquired immune response.

Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru  30.09.2016