Protein that Distracts Antibodies Helps Pathogens (1 of 5) (IMAGE)
Caption
This image shows the structure of Protein M (sky blue) from the human pathogen Mycoplasma genitalium in complex with a human antibody (gold and green). The structure reveals that Protein M binds predominantly to the variable light chain of all the antibodies in human repertoire (contacts highlighted in brick red color) and at the same time blocks the specific interaction between that antibody and its intended large bio-molecular target. The background shows a transmission electron microscopy image of Mycoplasma genitalium attacking the surface of a human cervical cell. The electron-dense remnant of the terminal tip is evident near the bacterial-human cell border. This image relates to a paper that appeared in the Feb. 7, 2014, issue of Science, published by AAAS. The paper, by Rajesh K. Grover at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, CA, and colleagues was titled, "A Structurally Distinct Human Mycoplasma Protein that Generically Blocks Antigen-Antibody Union."
Credit
Image courtesy of Christina Corbaci and Rajesh K. Grover
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