Mapping the S1P system

Researchers published a study in Nature Chemical Biology this month shedding more light on the importance of the sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) receptor system in autoimmune diseases. The results lend further support to the efforts by industry to develop agonists of the receptor for autoimmune disorders.

The S1P family of G protein-coupled receptors, formerly known as the endothelial differentiation genes, are located on the surface of tissues, where they are believed to regulate numerous physiological processes such as lymphocyte trafficking and vascular maturation and permeability. Of the five members of the receptor family, S1P1 has received the most attention as a therapeutic target...