Purdue University news release
A prominent protein on most human cells may be key to unlocking the code that makes humans susceptible to pathogenic bacteria and viruses, including HIV, according to a new study in Science Immunology.
The study looked at a protein called CD46, which is a part of the complement system, nature’s oldest and fastest immune defense system.
Several pathogenic bacteria and viruses, including those that cause respiratory illnesses and HIV, exploit CD46 to attach to, enter, or interact with host cells, triggering or hijacking host-cell signaling and immune responses. The research identified how signals from CD46 turn genes on or off inside T cells, which spearhead the body’s immune response, to control their functions. The results were surprising.
A better understanding of the CD46 interaction pathway could help researchers develop new therapies for conditions including immune deficiencies, infectious diseases and inflammatory disorders: disease states associated with perturbed T-cell function. One of the most important, and most recognizable, is HIV.
Read the full news release here.
Source : Purdue University
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