Scientists Discover Natural Antibiotic in Human Gut

January 28, 2003

> Scientists Discover Natural Antibiotic in Human Gut

> Mon January 27, 2003 06:18 PM ET

> By Linda Carroll

> NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Researchers have found a

> potent antibacterial

> protein that is made naturally by the human body.

>

> The protein, dubbed Ang4, is created by cells in the

> intestines, according

> to a study published in the advance online version

> of the journal Nature

> Immunology.

>

> It is likely that Ang4 normally plays a role in

> protecting the lining of the

> intestines, the study's lead author, Lora V. Hooper,

> explained in an

> interview with Reuters Health.

>

> " We showed that Ang4 kills many different types of

> gut bacteria, " said

> Hooper, a researcher at Washington University School

> of Medicine in St.

> Louis, Missouri. " We think that Ang4 is part of the

> arsenal that use to keep

> bacteria from getting too close to the intestinal

> lining and causing

> damage. "

>

> Hooper and her colleagues also found that Ang4 was a

> potent killer of a type

> of bacteria called listeria monocytogenes, which has

> been implicated in

> recent cases of severe food poisoning.

>

> Interestingly, Hooper pointed out, bacteria that

> normally live in the gut

> control the release of Ang4.

>

> There are numerous types of bacteria that live in

> the intestines in a kind

> of healthy, symbiotic relationship with their human

> hosts, explained study

> co-author Dr. Jeffrey I. Gordon, a professor and

> head of the department of

> molecular biology and pharmacology at the Washington

> University School of

> Medicine.

>

> Without these bacteria, human beings would not be

> able to digest certain

> types of plant-derived nutrients, Gordon said. The

> breakdown of these

> nutrients is " assigned to our microbial partners, "

> he added. " Their genes

> are the ones that have the encoding for the enzymes

> necessary for breaking

> down these important nutrients. "

>

> But even these " friendly " bacteria can do damage to

> the gut if they spread

> too deeply into the intestinal lining, Hooper

> explained. If they spread into

> the lining, the body will respond with inflammation,

> eventually killing off

> all the bacteria.

>

> So, a system for protecting the intestinal lining

> has evolved over time,

> Hooper said. By signaling certain cells in the

> intestines to release Ang4,

> the bacteria keep their own numbers in check,

> creating a sort of " protective

> electric fence " around the intestinal lining.

>

> " By controlling the expression of these types of

> antibiotic proteins, the

> bacteria are helping to shape their own

> neighborhood, " Gordon said. " They

> groom the landscape in ways that are beneficial for

> both the host and the

> bug. "

>

> Ultimately, Gordon said, research into how Ang4 and

> other naturally

> occurring antibiotics work may lead to better

> medicines.

>

> " Understanding the mechanism of how these proteins

> kill bacteria may lead to

> a better understanding of the chinks in the

> bacteria's armor, " he added.

> " With the tremendous amount of resistant bacteria

> out there, it's important

> to push the envelope to find new classes of

> antibiotics-new tools to fight

> bacterial infections. "

>

> Source: Nature Immunology online edition

> 2003;10.1038/ni888.

>

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January 28, 2003

Very interesting article...

Ang4 is an entity referred to as a member of the protein superfamily. At

the food level, there are 22 entities that make up protein as we normally

think of it, the amino acids. At the chemical level, there are hundreds

more. I'm not sure how the Ang(X's) fit into the overall scheme, since

they've only been around for a couple of years, but I can see that many

scientists are concerned with just that topic.

This article elaborates somewhat on my prior thesis that our bodies are

basically chemical engines. We all know that veggie diets provide the best

fuel. When that fuel is lacking in some unusual way, it's nice to know that

research has been done (or is in progress) that can fill in for some of

those shortcomings.

DaveO

Allison Nations [allyanne2001]