A MOLECULAR trick that prevents a parasitic worm being digested in the gut
has been uncovered. Surprisingly, the finding could lead to new treatments for
high blood pressure and cancer.
Michael James and his colleagues at the University of Alberta in Edmonton
studied the worm Ascaris lumbricoides, which infects about a billion
people worldwide. They discovered how pepsin inhibitor-3, a protective protein
secreted by the worm stifles pepsin—an enzyme that would otherwise destroy
it (Nature Structural Biology, vol 7, p 653). “It effectively cloaks
the pepsin so its active site is virtually inaccessible,” says James.
The team hopes…
