Raster electron microscope image of human T’lymphocytes
Cells of the immune system can distinguish between protein molecules that are "self" and "non-self". For example, if we are exposed to pathogens such as bacteria or viruses that carry foreign molecules on their surface, the body reacts with an immune response. In contrast, cells are "tolerant" of the body's own molecules. This state of unresponsiveness, or anergy, is regulated by a cellular signal, a calcium-controlled switch that was known to control also many brain functions. Neuroscientists from Heidelberg University and immunologists of Heidelberg University Hospital identified this signal. The research The research work was led by Hilmar Bading from the Interdisciplinary Center for Neurosciences working together with the research group of Yvonne Samstag, Director of the Molecular Immunology Section. The Heidelberg research team identified a calcium signal in the cell nucleus of human T'lymphocytes as a decision-maker in the immune system.
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