The migration of dendritic cells to the lymphatic system oscillates according to the time of day, suggesting certain times are associated with higher immune system activity.
What to know:
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The activity of the immune system rises and falls over the course of a day, according to new research published in Nature Immunology.
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The migration of dendritic cells to the lymph nodes changes over a period of 24 hours in response to circadian rhythms.
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Researchers from the University of Geneva and Ludwig-Maximilian University identified several molecules, such as chemokines, that are involved in this migratory process. The expression of these molecules is regulated by circadian clocks.
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In mice, which are nocturnal, peaks in the migratory process were seen during the mice’s resting phase in the afternoon, just before activity resumed.
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Researchers then evaluated human skin cells taken from patients at different times of the day and found that the migratory process peaked in the early morning.
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The results suggest that time of day may be a point of consideration in the future for administering vaccines or delivering immunotherapies.
This is a summary of the article “The Human Immune System Is an Early Riser,” published by the University of Geneva on October 18. The full article can be found on unige.ch.
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