Protein Molecule that may Improve Survival in Deadly Lung Disease
Summary: A protein molecule called Lysocardiolipin Acyltransferase, or LYCAT, was found to be made by one of the many genes mutated in a Lung disease called Pulmonary Fibrosis. Pulmonary Fibrosis is a progressive disease that causes the lungs to be covered by fibrosis scar tissue, due to chronic inflammatory disease, an autoimmune disease, or exposure to asbestos. This scar tissue in turn leads to a shortness of breath that progressively gets worse as the disease progresses, and treatment is limited for this disease due to the fact that scar tissue is permanent and cannot be removed. The protein LYCAT is directly correlated with better lung function, so because of this scientists tested blood of patients for the LYCAT protein and those who did had a much better lung function and survival rate than those who did not. This was also tested in mice, with mice that had the LYCAT making gene compared to those who did not. The mice who did not have the gene grew more scar tissue more readily than those who did have the protein. With this new information, researchers are now looking into increasing the production of the LYCAT protein in Pulmonary Fibrosis patients to increase lung function and the survival rate.
Connection: This article is related to the Human Body II unit, because it involves the lungs and therefore the respiratory system along with the impacts of a disease on homeostasis. The respiratory system's main job, is to exchange gases with the environment therefore taking oxygen into the body and expelling carbon dioxide. Because of Pulmonary Fibrosis, homeostasis of the body is disrupted due to the scar tissue on the lungs which causes shortness of breath. This shortness of breath would lead to the inefficiency of the respiratory system taking in oxygen and expelling carbon dioxide. This article relates to the respiratory system and the effects diseases can have on homeostasis.
Author: Sharon Parmet
Date of Publication: May 6, 2014
What's the function of the protein LYCAT? In other words, how is it correlated with better lung function?
ReplyDeleteThe LYCAT protein is important in maintaining normal mitochondrial function and vascular development. Therefore, if an individual has LYCAT lung cells are able to better function because of a constant mitochondrial function helped by the LYCAT.
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