Bacterial skin care
Nature Medicine
November 23, 2009
A bacterium normally present in the skin can control cutaneous inflammation, a study in this week's Nature Medicine reports.
The normal bacterial flora of the skin includes staphylococcal species which are certain bacteria that induce inflammation when present below one of the layers of skin but are harmless on the surface layer. Richard Gallo and his coworkers found a mechanism by which staphylococci bacteria inhibit skin inflammation. This inhibition depends on the amount of LTA, a molecule produced by the staphylococci that acts on skin cells.
The authors discovered that skin cells require activation of a pathogen-sensing receptor called TLR3 to release proinflammatory molecules. Staphylococcal LTA inhibits this release acting through a second pathogen-sensing receptor: TLR2. This work is the first time that the skin flora is documented to regulate specific inflammatory responses in the skin.
doi: 10.1038/nm.2062
Research highlights
-
Aug 12
Ageing: Mutations in the ageing human heart identifiedNature Aging
-
Aug 12
Palaeontology: T. rex and relatives traded big eyes for bigger bitesCommunications Biology
-
Aug 10
Epidemiology: Estimating the risk of SARS-related coronaviruses from bats in Southeast AsiaNature Communications
-
Aug 5
Microbiology: Single switch makes Escherichia coli beneficial insect partnerNature Microbiology
-
Aug 5
Conservation: More than half of unassessable species may be at risk of extinctionCommunications Biology
-
Aug 4
Physiology: Restoring cellular functions in pigs after deathNature