DURHAM, N.C., Sept. 23 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists studying the roundworm say they've found genetic links between the nervous system and the immune system that may lead to new human therapies.
The Duke University researchers said scientists have theorized a direct link between the nervous and immune systems, but the exact connection was unknown.
"This is the first time that a genetic approach has been used to demonstrate specific neurons in the nervous system are capable of regulating immune response in distant cells," said Assistant Professor Alejandro Aballay, who led the study involving the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans.
"The simple, well-characterized nervous system of C. elegans and its recently discovered innate immune system make it a prime system for research," said Aballay. "We can study the mechanisms and biological meaning of the cross-talk between the immune and nervous systems, and our studies should set the stage for a new field of research."
Pamela Marino, who oversees molecular immunology grants at the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health, said Aballay's findings "opens the door to understanding how neurons may affect other non-neural processes, such as fat storage and longevity."
The study appears in the Sept. 18 issue of Science.
