Explican que los bacteriófagos contienen genes que les permiten cambiar sus proteínas rápidamente para unirse a distintos receptores celulares. Los investigadores creen que esta propiedad podría utilizarse para crear bacteriófagos manipulados genéticamente para tratar infecciones bacterianas que se han hecho resistentes a los antibióticos.
Los autores observaron que el genoma del fago que infecta a la bacteria Bordetella bronchiseptica, perteneciente a la familia de la causante de la tos ferina, contiene un grupo de genes que cambian la parte del virus que se une a las células de la bacteria. Estos genes permiten al virus desarrollarse en nuevas variantes que pueden reconocer y atacar a las bacterias que han generado resistencias al bacteriófago anterior.
Por el momento, seguirán estudiando este mecanismo genético para saber más acerca de sus propiedades bioquímicas y para determinar si formas de vida superiores presentan similares tipos de genes.
Webs Relacionadas
University of California, Los Angeles
http://www.ucla.edu/
Nature
http://www.nature.com/
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