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鈥攁n enzyme that would otherwise destroy
it (Nature Structural Biology, vol 7, p 653). 鈥淚t effectively cloaks
the pepsin so its active site is virtually inaccessible,鈥� says James.
The team hopes that altered forms of the inhibitor could block enzymes
similar to pepsin that have been linked with high blood pressure and the spread
of cancer.
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