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| Science & Technology |
| Israeli scientists find forgotten immune strategy to fight viruses |
| 2023-08-21 |
| [Jerusalem Post] Different species have a forgotten innate protein that has the ability to fight off viruses, according to a study by the Weizmann Institute of Science. Everything needs energy. Every time we use our smartphones, send a text message, or watch a video, some of the energy stored in the battery is depleted. Living cells also store energy in "currencies" they can cash in when needed to fuel life processes. The main energy "currency" of all living things on Earth — the lithium battery that powers the living world, as it were — is a molecule known as adenosine triphosphate (ATP). However, even though charging cells with ATP molecules is of vital importance, it has now been discovered that discharging them could be no less crucial and even lifesaving. In a study just published in the journal Cell under the title "Ultrafast distant wound response is essential for whole-body regeneration," researchers from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot have described a new family of proteins that deplete cells of their energy, thereby protecting the cells from invaders. THE BODY'S FORGOTTEN INNATE ARMY TO FEND OFF VIRUSES The scientists showed that this previously unknown immune mechanism doesn’t exist only in single-celled organisms; it has been preserved for more than a billion years of evolution and is used by many living creatures, from corals to bees. The newly revealed strategy is the latest of more than 100 recently discovered sophisticated mechanisms used by bacteria in their heroic battle against bacteriophages — the viruses that attack bacteria. Many of these mechanisms were discovered and described in the lab of Prof. Rotem Sorek in Weizmann’s molecular genetics department. |
| Posted by:Besoeker |
| #1 Living cells also store energy in "currencies" they can cash in when needed to fuel life processes. Unless you're on Statins, of course. |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2023-08-21 10:17 |