Singapore, May 14 (Ians) By studying the unusual ability of bats to host viruses without significant illness, scientists have discovered a protein that could unlock new strategies for fighting inflammatory diseases and ageing in humans.
The research, published in the journal Cell, is focused on multi-protein complexes called inflammasomes that are responsible for the overactive inflammation that causes serious symptoms in many diseases.
Inflammasomes are also implicated in functional decline in ageing.
The team discovered that a bat protein called ASC2 has a powerful ability to inhibit inflammasomes, thereby limiting inflammation.
“Bats have attracted great attention as a likely reservoir of the Sars-CoV-2 virus responsible for the Covid-19 pandemic. But this unique ability to host yet survive viral infections could also have a very positive impact on human health if we can understand and exploit how they achieve this,” said Professor Wang Lin-Fa, at Duke-nus Singapore’s Emerging Infectious Diseases (Eid) Programme.
The research, published in the journal Cell, is focused on multi-protein complexes called inflammasomes that are responsible for the overactive inflammation that causes serious symptoms in many diseases.
Inflammasomes are also implicated in functional decline in ageing.
The team discovered that a bat protein called ASC2 has a powerful ability to inhibit inflammasomes, thereby limiting inflammation.
“Bats have attracted great attention as a likely reservoir of the Sars-CoV-2 virus responsible for the Covid-19 pandemic. But this unique ability to host yet survive viral infections could also have a very positive impact on human health if we can understand and exploit how they achieve this,” said Professor Wang Lin-Fa, at Duke-nus Singapore’s Emerging Infectious Diseases (Eid) Programme.
- 5/14/2023
- by Agency News Desk
- GlamSham
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