RICHLAND, Wash. -- Recreating growth conditions in flea carriers and mammal hosts, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory scientists have uncovered 176 proteins and likely proteins in the plague-bacterium Yersinia pestis whose numbers rise and fall according to the disease’s virulence.The team, led by the Department of Energy laboratory staff scientists Mary Lipton and Kim Hixson, identified the proteins as “unique biomarkers related specifically to growth condition,” according to a study in the latest issue of the Journal of Proteome Research. Biomarkers associated with disease progression show promise as detection tools in public health and biodefense and can guide drug and vaccine designers in their quest to disrupt the microbe’s ability to infect. >>> Discuss This Story
