Bacterial protein fragment kills lung cells in pulmonary fibrosis.

[2greys]

A bacterial protein fragment instigates lung tissue death in pulmonary fibrosis, a mysterious disease affecting millions of people worldwide, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Mie University in Japan. Led by Illinois microbiology and animal sciences professor Isaac Cann (MME leader/BCXT) and Mie University immunology professor Dr. Esteban Gabazza (MME), the researchers published their findings in the journal Nature.

“We discovered salt-loving bacteria in the lungs of patients with pulmonary fibrosis, and these bacteria secrete a peptide that marks the lung cells it touches for death,” Cann said.

In people with pulmonary fibrosis, lung tissue becomes progressively more scarred and stiffened, with a prognosis of only three to five years of life after diagnosis. Certain environmental factors, infections or medications are linked to disease onset; however, the majority of cases are of unknown origin. These mysterious cases are called idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. About 50,000 patients in the U.S. die of IPF every year – more than die from breast cancer, according to the IPF Foundation.

igb.illinois.edu/article/ba...

The study published in the journal Nature.

nature.com/articles/s41467-...

[MELNEL]

That's scary 😥

[Ergendl]

Interesting that the bacteria are salt loving.