Cellular inflammation is mediated by a group of proteins known as the inflammasome.
In the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Ziad Mallat and colleagues at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, England, identified a protein, MFGE8, that blocks inflammasome activity.
Using a mouse model of stroke, Mallat and colleagues determined that expression of MFGE8 inhibited the production of pro-inflammatory products and limited the area of injury after stroke.
These results identify MFGE8 as an important regulator of inflammation that could potentially serve as a useful therapeutic target in inflammatory disease.
TITLE:MFGE8 inhibits inflammasome-induced IL-1β production and limits post-ischemic cerebral injury