Adenosine deaminase 2 (ADA2) plays a critical role in immune regulation, particularly in monocyte differentiation and activation. Unlike ADA1, which primarily functions intracellularly, ADA2 can be secreted or trafficked to lysosomes. Deficiency in ADA2 (DADA2) leads to systemic vasculitis marked by elevated TNF-α levels, excessive pro-inflammatory cytokine production, and impaired differentiation of monocytes into anti-inflammatory M2 macrophages. Research demonstrates that intracellular ADA2 localizes within endolysosomes of macrophages, and its reduction correlates with heightened TNF-α secretion. This suggests ADA2 modulates lysosomal adenosine levels, influencing inflammatory pathways. In pneumonia patients, elevated ADA2 levels in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) align with increased pro-inflammatory cytokines, while cord blood exhibits low ADA2, fostering an immunosuppressive milieu. Secreted ADA2 binds apoptotic cells, reducing extracellular adenosine and activating immune responses, highlighting its dual intra- and extracellular roles in inflammation.

POSTECH and Linyi University develop ‘SLY,’ a Probe That Glows Yellow Only in Tumor Cells.

Scientists have discovered a group of extraordinary microbial molecules found in exclusively cold environments, such as glaciers. The molecules, which they called ‘cryorhodopsins’, allow microbes to absorb energy from sunlight, similarly to chlorophyll, and can be engineered to act as a light-operated power switch for electrical activity in neurons. Some of them are blue – a rare light absorption property that can have wide applications in many scientific fields. Cryorhodopsins are the first observed prototypical switches that turn electrical signalling in cells both on and off depending on the colour of light they receive – a remarkable ability that offers new possibilities for science and medicine. The study was led by a scientist at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Hamburg and involved scientists from Germany’s University Medical Center Göttingen and Goethe University Frankfurt, as well as from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, and others.