The study, which was published in Nature Communications, showed how a mutation in the gene Gimap5, which encodes the GTPase of immunity associated protein 5 (Gimap5), is responsible for the formation and the healthy functioning of CD4+ T helper cells.
CD4+ T cells are the major cell type involved in fighting infection and removing foreign bodies. Gimap5 is a protein responsible for regulating and inhibiting the activity of GSK3, which can cause genetic damage to T cells if unregulated. Damaged T cells cannot function and subsequently undergo cell death (apoptosis).
