TB Bacteria use Iron to Survive
The tuberculosis (tb) bacteria kill two people every three minutes. The bacteria uses iron from the human body to survive. But the mechanism by which they source the iron was not known. Researchers from the University of Hyderabad have recently cracked the mechanism.
The Tuberculosis (tb) bacteria kill two people every three minutes. The bacteria uses iron from the human body to survive. But the mechanism by which they source the iron was not known. Researchers from the University of Hyderabad have recently cracked the mechanism. Their research paves the way for new medicines to treat the disease better.
The tb pathogen sources its iron through molecules called siderophores, which have high affinity for iron. First, the pathogens release these molecules, which extracts iron from human cells, leaving them iron-scarce. The molecules are then transported back to the pathogen, which synthesizes the iron to sustain and grow at the cost of the host. These actions are dependent on two proteins that help complete the transportation cycle of siderophores. Blocking this transportation through medicines can be a breakthrough to cure tb. First, it will stop the iron uptake and secretion. Since there will be no export pathway for siderophores, it will extract iron from the microbe itself. Continue reading »
Filed under India, News | Tags: India, Research, TB, Tuberculosis | Comment (0)Culprit Iron in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s – Cause
The cause of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases has long intrigued scientists. Researchers of University of Warwick and IIT, Kanpur, zeroed in on a protein, the malfunctioning of which, they say, could be a possible cause for the diseases.
The study noted that transferring, a protein that transports iron from the blood to the brain, may not be doing its job well. That may lead to exposure of other cells to iron, and their subsequent degeneration and the diseases. The protein binds iron on to its surface. It then curls around the iron and seals it. This prevents the iron from getting exposed to other cells till it reaches its destination organ—the brain.
In the experiment, transferring was placed on an open surface and observed over a period of time.
Filed under India, Livelihood, Research | Tags: * Neurology, India, Research | Comment (0)“We simulated conditions for ageing so that the existing molecules interacted with each other. We found the molecules self-assembled into fibres and iron that was earlier wrapped inside the protein started settling in bands along the length of the fibre,’ Continue reading »
“AIDS Came to US from Haiti” Say Researchers from University of Arizona
The US has found a new target. Now it says aids came to its shores from Haiti. Researchers from the University of Arizona say gene sequences from the blood specimens collected in 1982–1983 from Haitian aids patients suggest the disease came from Haiti in the 1960′s. The study also reveals most of the aids viruses in the us can be traced to one person from Haiti. Continue reading »
Filed under News, Research | Tags: AIDS, Haiti, Medical Research, Research, United States Of America (US) | Comment (0)