New Antiviral Protein Discovered In Human Body
Wednesday, January 21, 2009 - 18:14
in Biology & Nature
Scientists have discovered a new molecular sensor in human cells capable of recognizing infecting viruses and transmitting an alarm signal to the body. The newly discovered protein, termed AIM2, patrols the inside of human immune cells and when it encounters a DNA that is suspicious, possibly coming from an intruding virus or bacterium, triggers the secretion of the signaling protein Interleukin-1.