Summary: At the University of York, recent research explains how bacteria use human proteins during infection to their advantage. Professor Jennifer Potts of York’s Biology Department studied the way Staphylococcus aureus can attach itself to two proteins found in the blood of humans. S.aureus is a bacterium that causes deadly infections in people. The two proteins it can attach to are fibronectin and fibrinogen. Both of these proteins play a key role in blood clotting and wound healing. S.aureus binds to fibronectin and fibrinogen to cause the dangerous heart infection endocarditis. Professor Jennifer Potts stated: "Bacteria have evolved various mechanisms to exploit human proteins to cause infection. Understanding these mechanisms might not only lead to the development of new therapeutics but can also provide important information regarding the normal role of these human proteins in the body."
Connection: This recent article relates to our studies of bacteria and the cardiovascular/circulatory system as well as the immune system. In class we learned about bacteria being able to manipulate it's DNA as needed, and doing so to fit with a specific protein is not impossible for the mighty bacteria. S.aureus's ability to do this is a prime example. We also learned in class about blood's key role in the body, including mending injuries and fighting infection. And under normal circumstances our white blood cells, which are also part of our immune system, do not attack their own kind so by binding to our proteins S.aureus can be overlooked. This article is something that fits perfectly into our curriculum.
Are only bacteria able to do this or are there other pathogens with this ability?
ReplyDelete