Vitamin D is a key molecule that is involved in the signaling pathway in the cells of the immune system, T lymphocytes, according to scientists from Denmark in the journal Nature Immunology.
Their finding explains why T cells from patients with low vitamin D levels are less effective at fighting infection than the same cells from healthy people.
Carsten Geisler and colleagues at the University of Copenhagen discovered that immature T cells lack the active PLC-gamma1 enzyme necessary for their proper function. The lack of this enzyme makes T lymphocytes much less willing to defend the body against pathogens than mature T lymphocytes.
Scientists have discovered that vitamin D is necessary for the expression of PLC-gamma1, hence the conclusion that it is needed for the proper maturation of lymphocytes and thus for the effective defense of our body against pathogens. (PAP)