Protein that listens to bacteria and controls cell functions found

Researchers have for the first time discovered the actual protein which can listen to bacteria and change the way host cells function.

Bacteria produce molecules that allow them to communicate with each other.

This process, called 'quorom sensing' is vital to the propagation of an infection.

Gathering bacteria form at the site of an infection, such as a wound and when they reach a certain number, they then begin behaving like multi-cellular organisms.

This means that they become more aggressive, their mobility is increased and they can form biofilms.

Biofilms fight against the body's immune system and antibiotics through their dense structures and ability to resist.

When these modifications occur, certain genes are switched on and off. This is because short fatty acids with the description AHL stick to receptors inside the bacterial cells.

AHL can move through the cell membrane, in both bacterial and human cells.

For example in low amounts white blood cells can be more effective and flexible, however in high amounts they are ineffective and rigid.

This makes humans vulnerable to inflammations and infections, as well as negatively affecting their immune systems.

A team of scientists from Linköping University in Sweden are now able to show how AHL can change the behaviour of their host cells.

Published in the journal, PLOS Pathogens, the researchers state that they used biochemical techniques to identify a protein designated IQGAP that both listens to the bacteria and changes the way the cell functions.

Elena Vikström, a researcher in Medical Microbiology, stated: "We have proof that physical contact between bacteria and epithelial cells is not always required; the influence can happen at a distance."

She refers to the laboratory studies that were done on human epithelial cells from the intestines. They were mixed with a type of AHL that is the cause of illnesses in the eyes, lungs and intestines.

The experts were able to view which proteins bind with AHL using mass spectrometry.

The discovery may lead to new therapies for illnesses that do not respond to antibiotics.

Posted by Ben Evans