| Talk title | c-Rel as a potential therapeutic target in autoimmune diseases |
| Speaker | Prof. Qingguo RUAN Distinguished Professor, Institute of Biomedicine and Biotechnology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences |
| Date & Time | 14 November 2017 (Tuesday) 14:30-15:30 |
| Venue | Room G004, E12 Building (University of Macau) |
| Abstract | Previous studies have shown that inflammatory mediators involved in the development of psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are regulated by the Rel/nuclear factor-κB (Rel/NF-κB) transcription factor family. c-Rel, a member of the Rel/NF-κB family, is a risk factor for several inflammatory diseases including psoriasis and RA. In the current study, we investigated whether targeting c-Rel with siRNA (siRel) can be used to treat imiquimod (IMQ)-induced psoriasis and collagen-induced arthritis in mice. Our results showed that siRel treatment significantly ameliorated the development of both diseases in mice. Further study revealed that the expression of c-Rel and inflammatory cytokines by myeloid cells as well as Th1 and Th17 immune responses from mice treated with siRel were significantly down-regulated. In addition, the expression of inflammatory cytokines was markedly reduced in the skin and hind paws. Taken together, these results indicate that the susceptibility gene Rel can be targeted to treat and prevent autoimmune diseases. |
