Research: a human protein may "borrow" from bacterial toxins

Xinhua news agency, Washington, April 22 (reporter Zhou Zhou Zhou) according to a study published in the latest issue of the American Journal cell, a key protein responsible for cell to cell communication in the human body may "borrow" from bacterial toxins A transmembrane protein called teneurins in human cells plays a key role in the development of human embryo and the connection of nervous system Researchers from the University of Chicago and Stanford University in the United States analyzed the gene sequence of the protein and compared its structure with other protein structure data The results show that the transmembrane protein is not the same as the protein with similar functions, and its structure is more similar to a barrel shaped, propeller shaped protuberant bacterial toxin Bacterial toxins are toxic molecules that bacteria use to attack host cells Bacterial toxins may have been incorporated into a variety of organisms early in evolution, the researchers said, and early single celled eukaryotes, euflagellates, had similar transmembrane proteins They speculate that bacterial toxins may have passed some of their genes to early leatherbacks, and as these simple organisms evolved into more complex organisms, cytotoxin like proteins remained The researchers believe that the transmembrane protein "borrows" tools similar to bacterial infected cells and uses them to connect other cells and communicate with each other.