20.11.2023 The Institute for Medical Microbiology and Hygiene congratulates Ayesha Dhillon-LaBrooy on her recent publication in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology: “Inhibition of mitochondrial translation ameliorates Imiquimod-induced psoriasis-like skin inflammation by targeting Vγ4+ γδ T cells”. Psoriasis is an inflammatory skin disorder that is characterized by keratinocyte hyperproliferation in response to immune cell infiltration and cytokine secretion in the dermis. γδ T cells expressing the Vγ4 T cell receptor chain are amongst the highest contributors of IL-17, which is a major cytokine that drives a psoriasis flare, making Vγ4+ γδ T cells a suitable target to restrict psoriasis development. Dhillon-LaBrooy et al. demonstrated that inhibiting mitochondrial translation of Vγ4+ γδ T cells effectively reduced erythema, scaling, and skin thickening in a murine model of psoriasis. The antibiotic Linezolid, which blocks mito-translation, systemically reduced the frequencies of IL-17+ Vγ4+ γδ T cells, effectively resolving IL-17-dependent inflammation, indicating that inhibiting mitochondrial translation could be a novel therapeutic approach to treat psoriasis pathophysiology. The group of Prof. Tim Sparwasser has been also focused in searching for new substances with the same biological effect that lack the antimicrobial property.