A new part of the immune system – hidden inside our body – could be used to produce new antibiotics.
A new part of the immune system has been discovered and it is a gold mine for potential antibiotics, according to scientists.
The researchers in Israel have shown that a part of the body known to recycle proteins has a secret mode capable of issuing an arsenal of chemicals that kill bacteria.
They argue that this transforms our understanding of how we are protected from infections.
And it offers a new source for the search for antibiotics, in the effort to fight the growing problem of current drugs.
The discovery revolves around the proteasome, a small structure found in all the cells of the body.
Its main function is to decompose old proteins in smaller pieces so that they can be recycled to produce new proteins.
But a series of experiments, detailed in the scientific magazine Nature, reveals that the proteasome detects when a cell has been infected with bacteria.
Then change structure and function. And he starts transforming old proteins into arms that can break the external layer of bacteria to kill them.
“This is really exciting because we never learned that it was happening,” he told BBC Yifat Merbl of the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel.
“We discovered a new immunity mechanism that allows us to have a defense against bacterial infections.”
“This is happening throughout our body, in all cells and generates a totally new class of potential natural antibiotics.”
The research team has gone through a process they call “Roll the Cesth” to find these natural antibiotics.
They were tested in bacteria that grew up in the laboratory and mice with pneumonia and sepsis. The researchers said to obtain results comparable to some consolidated antibiotics.
And when they captured cells from the laboratory and disabled the proteasome, it was much easier to infect them with bacteria such as salmonella.
Daniel Davis, head of the Department of Biological Sciences and Professor of Immunology at the University of Imperial College in London in the United Kingdom, said that the results are “extremely provocative and very interesting”, since our understanding of how our body infections fight.
“What is truly exciting is that it is a totally unknown process through which anti -scarme molecules are produced within our cells, which is deeply important and surprising.”
But he warned that transforming it into a new source of antibiotics is an idea that “has yet to be tested” and will take time.
It is estimated that more than one million people die per year due to drug resistant infections such as antibiotics.
But despite the need, there has been a lack of research for the development of new antibiotics to satisfy the question.
Given this dark scenario, having a new source in which to search is a source of optimism for some scientists.
“It is a potential gold mine for new antibiotics, which is quite encouraging,” said Lindsey Edwards, professor of microbiology at King’s College London University in the United Kingdom, at the BBC.
“In previous years, it was necessary to dig the ground [para encontrar novos antibióticos]. It is incredible that this is something we have within us, but it is a question of technology to detect these things.
He also believes that there may be less problems by transforming them into medicines because they are already produced in the human body, so the “security problem can be much simpler”.
Source: Terra
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
