Structure of a virulent pathogen revealed
Monday, December 29, 2008 - 12:41
in Biology & Nature
Certain mean strains of bacteria inject virulent teams of molecules into cells that prepare the way for bacteria to invade the cells and reproduce, spreading disease. Different types of these molecules, called virulence factors, wreak havoc in cells’ basic functioning in different ways. Now, using x-ray crystallography, researchers at The Rockefeller University have revealed the structure of one such molecule that has the especially damaging effect of arresting its host cells’ division. The finding offers clues as to how this bacterial weapon works and, potentially, how to defend against it or even use it to attack cancer.
Read the whole article on The Rockefeller University
More from The Rockefeller University
Related
- 2-pronged protein attack could be source of SARS virulenceThu, 29 Oct 2009, 17:59:10 EDT
- Metabolomics reveals potential drug targets for bacteria causing urinary tract infectionsFri, 20 Feb 2009, 1:30:54 EST
- Bioinformatics sheds light on evolutionary origin of Rickettsia virulence genesThu, 12 Mar 2009, 7:09:16 EDT
- Key to virulence protein entry into host cells discoveredMon, 4 Aug 2008, 17:22:15 EDT
- Comparative genomics reveals molecular evolution of Q fever pathogenMon, 2 Feb 2009, 15:57:34 EST