Raphael Munchenbach
AP Biology
1/10/2018
American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. "Bacterial protein mimics DNA to sabotage cells' defenses: Study reveals details of Salmonella infections." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 28 September 2018. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/09/180928162255.htm>.
The article discusses and takes a deeper look into how the extremely widespread bacteria Salmonella, often acquired by eating uncooked animal products, affects the human body and the immune system. The article begins by introducing the body’s natural reaction to a disease, which is the activation of protective immune responses, and how salmonella prevents this from happening. The article then goes into more detail about how salmonella does this, through its zinc metalloprotease effector proteins, which effectively disrupt a cell’s immune response. In order to find out why salmonella was so effective at disrupting these processes, scientists created a 3-dimensional rendering of one of the zinc metalloprotease effector proteins, along with NF-kappaB, one of the human proteins responsible for alerting the body’s immune system. The article then explains the NF-kappaB performs its function by binding to DNA, and that, interestingly enough, the zinc metalloprotease effector proteins emulate a DNA molecule, tricking the NF-kappaB into binding to the salmonella instead, sabotaging the messages to the immune system. The article then explains that the zinc metalloprotease effector proteins do so while relying on their interactions with a specific, varying amino acids. According to the researchers, the solution is fairly simple: simply change the sequence of amino acids in NF-kappaB and then the zinc metalloprotease effector proteins can no longer disrupt the sequence.
This research could prove extremely important, as salmonella infects hundreds yearly, and in some(rare) cases can cause death, but is nonetheless a serious illness. Being able to thwart the disease’s interferences with the immune is a crucial step towards eradicating it, or curbing its proliferation altogether. Solving this problem also opens the door to tackling any other disease which employs a similar technique to infiltrate its host, going beyond just salmonella.
The article goes to great lengths about how salmonella affects its host, and how it deceives the immune system, by pretending to be DNA. However, it lacks detail in how amino acid sequences will be changed for every NF-kappaB molecule, and leaves the reader confused about many of the proposed solutions for the problem.
I decided to evaluate Raphael’s review and chosen article concerning the bacterium Salmonella and how a new study can be used to explain how the virus attacks and cleaves NF-kappaB proteins, an immune-related gene. Raphael’s review was refreshingly comprehensive, especially when he discusses the process by which the NF-kappaB proteins are cleaved. He delves into great detail, describing how the “the zinc metalloprotease effector proteins emulate a DNA molecule.” The step by step explanations of the processes aided me in understanding the material in the article without the scientific jargon. Additionally, he was able to pinpoint the major effects that these findings could have on society, seeing as though Salmonella is a rather common issue because it is easily transmitted from undercooked foods. His connection is clear and concise without being overly dramatic, rendering him a rational and pragmatic thinker. For instance, he comments that, “Solving this problem also opens the door to tackling any other disease which employs a similar technique to infiltrate its host, going beyond just salmonella.” I found it particularly interesting how he stated that these findings could enable researchers in other fields to find a solution by genetically programming a cure. As a whole, Raphael’s review of the article is logically explained, utilizing a number of transition words and explanatory sentences. The language used is at an advanced level as well, leaving the reader impressed with his command of wording while simultaneously allowing the reader to gain insight as to the contents of the original article and his own opinion concerning the significance and drawbacks of these findings.
ReplyDeleteAlthough Raphael’s review was written very well, there are some possible improvements that could be made. For one, Raphael’s review was rather disproportionate; he seems to have spent the vast majority of his time and effort on his thorough explanation of the processes discussed in the first paragraph, but the second paragraph and third paragraphs are not as well developed, something that can be seen upon first glance. As a result, his critique in particular reads as rather rushed, only being composed of two sentences. He states, “However, it lacks detail in how amino acid sequences will be changed… leaves the reader confused about many of the proposed solutions for the problem.” He could have explained which proposed solutions that he was referring to and he also could have mentioned other areas of criticism for the article, such as its lack of connection to other food-related illnesses caused by bacteria. Raphael’s explanation of the process by which the Salmonella cleaves the NF-kappaB proteins is also a bit problematic- it somewhat resembles the explanation offered in the original article, and therefore I am somewhat reluctant to call his review a completely original piece. I believe he should have made a greater attempt to explain the article using his own understanding of the issue, as many of his descriptors such as “tricking them into binding” and “sabotage” are utilized multiple times within the article.
Personally, reading the article and Raphael’s review of said article was a fascinating experience- I gained greater understanding as to how Salmonella operates once ingested, a topic that is especially relevant today. This article also brought to mind the Salmonella outbreak that was announced only days ago, where approximately 5 million pounds of beef have been recalled due to the detected presence of Salmonella. I chose to read this article precisely because of that news- the idea that scientists may have discovered a method to remediate the devastation sowed by Salmonella intrigued me in light of current events. The discovery of a cure for this illness has far-reaching consequences beyond my family and community in Bronxville- it would also provide a way for human beings around the world to avoid one more deadly virus, and spare the lives of millions of people who would have otherwise lost their lives after coming into contact with it.