Source: China Biotechnology Development Center

A team of researchers from the Australian National University found that proteins called guanylate-binding proteins (GBPs) mediate pathogens' selective activation of inflammatory vesicles to trigger host defenses and innate immune responses, said a recent study published in Nature Communications.

The researchers said the study was initially inspired by the immune system. They studied macrophages and found that when this immune cell is attacked by bacteria, it produces a set of molecules or proteins that directly label the bacteria inside the cell. These proteins are doubly powerful, not only destroying the bacteria, but also activating other immune responses that allow the body to fight off the pathogen's infection.

The researchers say the process of destroying the cells is like chopping a watermelon with an axe. Normally, your immune system can only see the surface of the watermelon. But if you cut the watermelon open, the contents are revealed, and then your immune system has a new opportunity to recognize more aspects of the watermelon, including the seeds, pulp, and sugar, etc., and the watermelon presents itself to the immune system in all its glory. As a result, we have a more powerful way to fight infections.

In experiments with mice, the researchers found that two GBPs are needed to trigger inflammation and immune responses. they have synthesized both proteins in the lab and have shown that they can target and destroy two specific strains of bacteria without damaging other cells.

Given that humans also have these proteins, the team expects that this discovery could be translated clinically soon. In addition, they identified a key part of these proteins, the sharp edge of the axe. Proteins are usually made up of hundreds or thousands of amino acids linked together, but they don't need to be that big for functioning. The team hopes they can make smaller, more effective drugs. The researchers say it could be reduced to 11 amino acids without the need for a huge and very expensive to make protein. The family of such proteins is quite large and it is likely that there are new unexplored proteins. The next hope is to confirm whether there are more GBP-like proteins that are equally adept at destroying bacteria, thus providing a better strategy for tackling antibiotic resistance. (Contributed by: Division of Biological Resources and Safety)

Category: Translations

Note: The results of this study were extracted from Nature Communications. The content of the article does not represent the views and positions of this website, and is for reference only.