Malaria Hides in Human Immune System

During the dry season in Africa, the parasites that carry malaria have to find a new host since mosquitos are scarce during this time period. The parasites have developed a way to keep their cells from attaching to the blood vessels. By doing this, the blood will circulate the infected cells out and help malaria stay in the body unaffected and the hosts will have less severe symptoms. The way malaria parasites work is by attaching proteins they make to blood vessels and they don't go to the spleen where blood gets circulated. They studied the difference between the parasites that were found during the dry season and the other seasons and found several differences. The ones in dry season behaved differently and weren't sticking due to the different genes turned on and off. The differences found were that 1131 genes were on during the dry season that is off during the wet season. These studies show that the parasites will alter its genes to make itself more sticky during the wet season and less during the dry season. There is still more research to be done to specifically find out if the genes being switched is for the stickiness of the cells.

Making a Vaccine for Ebola

Director of the Center for Microbial Pathogenesis at Georgia State University, Christopher Basler, has been working with other researchers to change the genome of the Ebola virus. They managed to modify the VP35 protein in the virus, allowing it to be combated by the early immune response in animals. In doing this, they made a strain of Ebola that is safe for researchers to work with. When given to monkeys, the altered strain provoked an immune response when the monkeys were exposed to the wildtype Ebola.

Basler intends to further his research to eventually develop a drug that can modify the VP35 protein in the same was as he did in the lab, or even use the strain of Ebola to create a vaccine to prevent future cases.


Article: https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2019-09-18/tiny-genetic-tweak-may-stop-ebola-virus-in-its-tracks

Related Article: https://news.gsu.edu/2019/09/17/biomedical-sciences-researchers-find-building-mutations-into-ebola-virus-protein-disrupts-ability-to-cause-disease-and-activates-protective-immunity/

Chromosomes Activate Genes Differently as we Age

        Researchers from UConn Health and the Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine have recently discovered that human chromosomes age with us. When we are young, chromosomes are loosely coiled, allowing for thousands of sites to be open and ready to activate genes and make proteins. As we age, some sections of the chromosome curl and become more tightly coiled, making it more difficult for DNA that defends our body against disease to be accessed. 

The genomic study utilized blood samples from 75 healthy, young people (ages 22-40), and 26 samples from healthy seniors (age 65 and up). The researchers isolated immune cells from each blood sample, and looked at how the immune cells’ gene activation changed with aging. The scientists found that regions of chromosome that code for genes that develop and differentiate T-cells, which help defend against the flu, viral infections, and some cancers, are more likely to be open in young people than in seniors. They also discovered that the elderly are more likely to have open regions of chromosome that code for genes associated with cell death and inflammation. Previous studies have shown that chromosomes shrink with age, and that gene expression is affected (The Scientist). However, the discovery of differently coiled chromosomes between young people and seniors had never been seen before in genomic analysis, and is now helping researchers conduct studies in overall disease resilience in older people. I find this topic very interesting because it may lead to medical breakthroughs in the care of the elderly. It is amazing to think that by learning about how the chromosomes age we can possibly make seniors more resilient to certain diseases.

Article: Elderly chromosomes activate genes differently than in the young

The Scientist Article: Aging Shrinks Chromosomes

Elderly with Alzheimer’s Pathology Found with Superior Memory

Scientists have been studying elderly patients over 90 years old who have superior memory abilities compared to their peers. After their death, it was discovered that some of them had widespread plaque and tangles in their brain, which are correlated with having Alzheimer; Despite the Alzheimer pathology present in their brain, they never showed signs of degenerating memory throughout their entire life.

This new revelation has baffled scientists whom believe that this means there are some factors that are protecting these individuals from the plaque and tangles in their brain—something that makes them “immune to the toxic effects of plaques and tangles.” Their goal: To figure out exactly what these factors are and possibly help stop the further decline of neurons and memory for elderly affected by the Alzheimer’s pathology. Changiz Guela, the Northwestern Medicine lead investigator is planning on looking “at genetic, dietary and environmental influences that could confer protection for neurons against Alzheimer’s pathology.

This new discovery can lead to promising therapies and treatment in the future. It has the potential to save millions off lives and families. 

Resources:

1. Northwestern University. "elderly discovered with superior memory and Alzheimer's Pathology." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 16 Novemvber 2016. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/11/161116132813.htm>.

2. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/11/161116132813.htm

Bowel Cancer Treatment

Cancer Research UK researchers at the University of Birmingham have discovered that genetic changes in bowel tumors are linked to the way the body's Immune system responds to cancer. From this data scientists can now start looking for what causes a weak immune response and in the future, could find a drug or drugs to turn off the immune suppression associated with a certain genetic mutation.
I found this article to be interesting because it shows the potential for boosting the patients immune system. and since a percentage of the time the patience dies from something other than cancer do to they're week immune system from the chemo along with the toll cancer has taken on their bodies. This could increase the likelihood of survival during intermission and overall.

Clam Cancer Outbreak, Spread by One Set of Cells

       
          There are currently three known cancers in nature. It is shocking that the third cancer known in nature occurred in clams. For the last 40 years, there have been leukemia-like disease outbreaks that have been depleting soft-shell clam populations along the United State's East cost. These outbreaks cause a significantly lowered harvest populations and job loss. The disease's cause and how it spread were unknown. It was speculated that the cause was from environmental factors, and it was spread by a virus. Researchers analyzed the cancer cell sequences and discovered that the cancer cells from different locations were the same. In one clam, they found that original cancer cell left its host and spread to another clam population. Cancers occur in an animal due to metastasis. Normally cancer cells have the same genes as the animal or person suffering from cancer, but it was found that none of the cancer cells had DNA matching the clams they were in. Instead, the cancer cells were the same as one another with the same DNA. It can be concluded that they all came from one original case of cancer in one clam. The cancer cells were being transmitted, not the virus. In water, the cancer cells can only live a few hours; however, this is more than enough time to infect other clams. Cancers normally do not spread in the same way as the clam since the cancer cell must leave the host, live long enough to enter another, and then it must still overcome the immune system's foreign rejection process. This cancer process may explain how cancers spread within the body from one organ to another.
           There is warning to stop eating clams or swimming since the human immune system would block the cancer cells from clams. I thought this article was pretty unique. I never thought about cancer occurring in animals. This case is interesting, and it could also correlate to the process of cancer cells transferring in the human body since it travels through the water to get to the clam. My only is question is how come the other clam does not reject the cancer cell, but humans would reject the clam's cancer cell?

Original Link: Link1
Supplemental Link: Link2

Protein that triggers immune response to viruses identified

Massachusetts General Hospital has found a protein that is linked to triggering the body's immune system response against infection caused by viruses. The protein known as GEF-H1 helps the macrophages - the eating machine that eats away materials and pathogens - react to viral infections, which also sends the body a response signal to fight the infection. The macrophages initiate the innate immune system - the first line of defense that sends white blood cells, cytokines, and antimicrobial peptides to stop the invasion. It is said the the gene GEF-H1 controls the response by binding to microtubules and recognizing bacteria.

The Hospital has also found that without GEF-H1 the tested mice were not able to be protected from two viral infections. Influenza A and enchephlomyocarditis were not attacked by the immune system. It is said that this could be due to viruses being capable of creating a resistance against the immune response. they are able to develop strategy's to prevent the immune system from stopping them so they can continue their invasion. However the discovery doesn't discourage the researchers, they hope to find a way to destroy the viruses strategy.

Knowing that researchers are constantly looking for ways to prevent viral infections and any other pathogen is reassuring. This means we are one step closer to developing a technique to ensure everyone has a healthy life. Our body holds many secrets but when we find these secrets it we find new ways to create treatments with the knowledge that comes out of research.

Secret of Bacteria's Immune System

Researchers from the University of Laval have unlocked the secret of bacteria’s immune system. CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) is a mechanism that works by selecting foreign DNA segments and inserting them into very specific locations in a bacterium's genome. These segments then serve as a kind of immune factor in fighting off future invasions by cleaving incoming DNA. This mechanism was demonstrated using plasmids, the plasmid contained gene for antibiotic resistance, it was inserted into bacteria used in making yogurt (Streptococcus thermophiles). The bacteria integrated the segments of DNA from the resistance gene into their genome and the attempts to reinsert the plasmid into these bacteria failed showing that bacteria had been immunized against acquiring the resistance gene.
I find this interesting because it could help us understand why some bacteria develop antibiotic resistance while others don't.