Recent hypothesis studies suggest that microbes thats in our body outnumber our blastocysts/cells by a huge margin, the tiny organisms may help us digest foods and maintain our immune system. Researchers have figured out another way that microbes keep us healthy: Theyre needed for closing the blood-brain barrier, a molecular fence that shuts out the pathogens and molecules that could harm the brain. The findings suggest that a womans diet or exposure to antibiotics during the course of pregnancy may influence the development of the barrier. The work could also lead to a better grasping of multiple sclerosis, in which a leaky blood-brain may set the stage for a decline in brain function. Researchers also discovered that microbes in the gut activate genes that code for gap junction proteins, which are crucial to building the gut wall. Without these proteins, gut pathogens can enter the bloodstream and cause disease. In the study, intestinal biologist Sven Pettersson and his postdoc Viorica Braniste of the Karolinksa Institute in Stockholm, Sweden decided to look further in-depth at the blood-brain barrier, which also has gap junction proteins.
Posted on: Sun, 23 Nov 2014 19:54:03 +0000
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