New immune system discovered in bacteria

The immune systems of humans andbacteria are similar. The immune systems degrade the pathogens' genes to make them harmless. An entirely new immune system that uses another mechanism for neutralization has been discovered in the research group of assistant Professor Daan Swarts. The findings are published in a journal.

A continuous arms race is taking place inside our body. On the one hand, the viruses are looking for new ways to penetrate our cells, and on the other, our body is coming up with better defense mechanisms to eliminate them. Sickness and health are usually kept in balance. The same arms race is waged between the two groups of invaders.

A new defense mechanism is described in an article in the scientific journal Cell. The scientists show that a novel type of bacterial rogaute proteins breaks down all the molecule with the name nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide.

Completely closes the cell.

In multicellular organisms like plants and humans, but also in unicellular organisms likebacteria, there are Argonaute proteins. The Argonautes use a small strand of guide RNA or guide DNA to find the same sequence of invaders. In most cases, the invaders are destroyed by cutting them up into smaller pieces. The Argonaute protein in the research uses a fundamentally different approach to defend against invaders than guideRNA does.

The cell is infectious.

The NAD + molecule is an important part of the metabolism of cells and is necessary for the continued existence of a cell. The invader can't spread or reproduce if the cell dies. In order to save other, healthy cells, the bacterium cell is sacrificed.

The advanced bacteria.

The immune system was found in different types ofbacteria. He was not surprised that these unicellular organisms have complex defense mechanisms. They have to because the viruses are very sophisticated.

In the future, we might be able to detect diseases in the human body using this kind of genetic tools.

The research was conducted to understand the mechanisms of Argonaute proteins. New insights will have practical applications in the long term, according to Swarts. The research group demonstrated that the immune system can be reprogrammed with a strand of guide RNA. In the future, we might be able to detect diseases in the human body using this kind of genetic tools. We are motivated by a fundamental curiosity for the time being.

More information: Balwina Koopal et al, Short prokaryotic Argonaute systems trigger cell death upon detection of invading DNA, Cell (2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2022.03.012 Journal information: Cell Citation: New immune system discovered in bacteria (2022, April 4) retrieved 4 April 2022 from https://phys.org/news/2022-04-immune-bacteria.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.