New research suggests that lowering excessive levels of a
protein in immune system cells could be a strategy to clear an
infection that is deadly to patients with cystic fibrosis (CF).
Researchers determined that normalizing levels of the protein,
called p62, in cells from mice carrying the most common mutation
that causes CF will jump-start a natural cellular process that
clears away the offending bacteria. The scientists had
previously determined that in cells from mice and humans
carrying the CF mutation, the bacteria that cause this infection
interfere with an important survival process in immune system
cells; they also attributed this interference to elevated levels
of p62. The survival process, called autophagy, allows a cell to
digest parts of itself to produce energy when it is experiencing
starvation. In many infections, autophagy also helps digest
pathogens and clear them away. The bacterium, Burkholderia
cenocepacia, causes a severe and persistent lung infection in
patients with CF and is resistant