ScienceDaily (Jan. 22, 2009) — The Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (CeMM) announces the discovery of a new molecular sensor in human cells capable of recognizing infecting viruses and transmitting an alarm signal to the body. The study, directed by the center’s director Giulio Superti-Furga, appears January 22 in the online advanced publication route of the journal Nature Immunology.

The newly discovered protein, termed AIM2, patrols the inside of human immune cells and when it encounters a DNA that is suspicious, possibly coming from an intruding virus or bacterium, triggers the secretion of the signaling protein Interleukin-1. This proinflammatory molecule activates an anti-invasion alarm program throughout the entire body. It is one of the main causes of fever and a central mediator of autoimmune disease. Thus, the study identified a new centerpiece of the human’s defense arsenal against pathogens.

“We are excited about this molecule as it helps understand the body’s immediate reaction to infections. It is much too early to say, but in the future AIM2 could lead to ways to enhance the patients’ own protection when this is needed, as during epidemics or when otherwise immune depressed”, stresses Tilmann Bürckstümmer, the first author of the study.

The results derived from a large scale, systematic search for human proteins that bind pathogenic molecules. Three other groups from Worcester, Philadelphia and Adelaide report the identification of the same protein in parallel publications appearing in the journals Nature and Science.

Story Source:

Adapted from materials provided by Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, via AlphaGalileo.

Journal Reference:

1. Tilmann Bürckstümmer, Christoph Baumann, Stephan Blüml, Evelyn Dixit, Gerhard Dürnberger, Hannah Jahn, Melanie Planyavsky, Martin Bilban, Jacques Colinge, Keiryn L Bennett and Giulio Superti-Furga. An orthogonal proteomic/genomic screen identifies AIM2 as a cytoplasmic DNA sensor for the inflammasome. Nature Immunology, 21 January 2009 DOI: 10.1038/ni.1702

Related Stories

Key Protein Regulator Of Inflammation And Cell Death Discovered (Jan. 26, 2009) — Scientists have discovered a key protein component involved in inflammation. The protein, AIM2 (absent in melanoma 2), is involved in the detection and reaction to dangerous cytoplasmic DNA that is ...  > read more

New Protein Controls Growth Of Hepatitis C Virus (Apr. 24, 2007) — Researchers reveal a new protein that prevents the hepatitis C virus from replicating, which could help devise new drugs against hepatitis ...  > read more

T-Cell 'Nanotubes' May Explain How HIV Virus Conquers Human Immune System (Jan. 16, 2008) — String-like connections found between T-cells could be important to how HIV spreads between cells in the human immune system, according to new research. The newly-discovered strands, named 'membrane ...  > read more

Chronic Infection Now Clearly Tied To Immune-System Protein (May 16, 2009) — A new study finds the cross-talk between 'killer T-cells' and 'helper T-cells' can only happen in the presence of interleukin-21, a powerful immune-system protein. Researchers say if interleukin-21 ...  > read more

Search ScienceDaily

Brain's Puberty Switch