An international study led by researchers from the University of Coimbra (UC) has revealed a new infection mechanism specific to Salmonella, which could be important for developing new therapeutic methods to stop the infection caused by this bacteria. “This is a new mechanism that increases our knowledge of the complex interactions that arise between our cells and microorganisms, in this case bacteria salmonellaAna Yuliu, study lead and researcher at the Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology at the University of Coimbra and professor at the Faculty of Science and Technology, said in the press release.
In the same document, the University of California asserts that these data, obtained through studies in cells and animal models with the help of bioinformatics and cellular and molecular biology tools, may play a critical role in preventing the development of infection through this. bacteria.” Miguel Mano, a CNC researcher and professor at FCTUC, and also an author of the study, explains that “knowledge of the molecular mechanisms explored by salmonella It may enable the development of treatment strategies capable of preventing the spread of infection.”
In December 2019, in a study also coordinated by Anna Yulilio, researchers concluded that bacteria of the genus Shigella e salmonella responsible for food poisoning around the world and many of them can be very serious. The team of scientists has revealed new regulatory processes for this bacterium in a work published in Scientific journal Nature Microbiology Which has already indicated the development of treatments for infections caused by these bacteria.
Anna Jul explains the big news associated with this business, is the fact that, “Unlike the current model, we found out اكتشف salmonellaIn addition to manipulating infected human cells, it also modifies neighboring uninfected cells in order to increase their susceptibility to infection, thus facilitating bacterial propagation.“.
“In general, cells in the human body when infected with viruses or bacteria communicate with neighboring healthy cells to orchestrate a response against infection,” which is not the case with infected cells. salmonellathat secrete proteins that facilitate infection of neighboring cells. For this reason, the study says, “it was necessary to assess and identify the ‘key molecules’ involved in the process of infection and spread, in order to better understand where to work to prevent infection.”
In particular, researchers have identified a protein, E2F1, that decreases during infection salmonella, either in host cells infected with the bacterium, or in neighboring cells, reads in the University of California statement. “Decreased E2F1 protein deregulates the expression of molecules involved in controlling the interaction of bacteria with the host, especially micro-RNA (small non-coding RNA sequence), which in turn promotes bacterial multiplication in infected cells.”
Additionally, in this investigation, the team also found that “initially infected cells release molecules into the extracellular (extracellular) space, in particular the HMGB1 protein, which activates neighboring cells making them more receptive to infection by salmonella”.
The infection caused by these bacteria occurs after eating contaminated food and mainly affects the digestive system, causing nausea, cramps, diarrhea, fever and vomiting. The research was led by UCSD scientists in collaboration with the Universities of Würzburg (Germany) and Cordoba (Spain), the Institute of Mathematical Sciences and the Homi Bhabha National Institute (both in India).
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