BEIJING, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- As people age or suffer from long-term diseases, their immune function may decline. A recent study published in the American journal Science Advances showed that the ability of mice to generate immune cells is related to some gene activity characteristics, and on this basis, it is expected to explore strategies to enhance immunity.
The team from the University of Southern California, which completed the study, said in ** that hematopoietic stem cells can produce immune cells, but not all hematopoietic stem cells have the same ability to generate immune cells.
The results showed that nearly 40 genes were associated with the number and type of immune cells produced. Some of these genes are associated with lymphoid cells, others with myeloid cells, and some with other types of immune cells. The activity of some genes will always affect the number of immune cells produced, while some genes will only affect the number of immune cells produced under certain conditions.
The researchers say the study could help explore strategies to boost immunity in certain situations, such as in bone marrow transplants, where gene activity profiles can be analyzed to select donor bone marrow cells that are more likely to promote the production of immune cells. (CCTV).