Diet of TACOs keeps bacteria alive.Immune cells called macrophages devour microorganisms, storing them temporarily in sacs known as phagosomes. The phagosomes then deliver trapped bacteria to their death by fusing with lysosomes lysosomes (līs  sōmz),n the self-contained organelles found inside most cells, which contain hydrolytic enzymes that aid in intracellular digestion. , other sacs containing enzymes that tear apart microbes. Yet mycobacteria mycobacteria members of the genus Mycobacterium. anonymous mycobacteria see opportunist (atypical) mycobacteria (below). nontubercular mycobacteria see opportunist (atypical) mycobacteria (below). , which include the bacteria that cause tuberculosis, happily live in phagosomes. An explanation for this turn of events lies in a cellular protein called tryptophane tryptophan, tryptophane Trp; a naturally occurring amino acid, existing in proteins. High levels of intake of d,l-tryptophan are thought to be a significant cause of atypical interstitial pneumonia in cattle. aspartate--containing coat protein, or TACO. A research team led by Giorgio Ferrari of the Basel Institute for Immunology The Basel Institute for Immunology (BII) was founded in 1969 as a basic research institute in immunology located at 487 Grenzacherstrasse, Basel, Switzerland on the Rhine River down the street from the main Hoffmann-La Roche campus near the Swiss-German border. in Switzerland reports in the May 14 CELL that mycobacteria recruit this protein to coat the phagosomes that they're inside, which prevents fusion with lysosomes. |
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