CHAMPAIGN, Ill., March 11 (UPI) -- U.S. biochemists say they've identified a new pathway that controls the activity of a protein involved in inflammation regulation.
University of Illinois Professor Lin-Feng Chen and colleagues said their findings could have important implications for the treatment of diseases or conditions linked to chronic inflammation.
The researchers said they have deciphered a molecular code that controls the function of a protein complex called NF-kappa B that is involved in a cell's inflammatory response.
"Inflammation is like a chemical storm during which many special chemicals that signal the immune system are released at the site of infection," Chen said. "NF-kappa B, the protein which is central to the inflammatory response, has to be tightly controlled; otherwise things could go crazy within the body."
Chen said he hopes his discovery will lead to the development of new drugs to influence the inflammatory response.
The research is detailed in the EMBO Journal.
