When faced with bacterial invaders, some human cells dispense a surprising substance: soap.
These cells, which aren’t part of the immune system, unleash a detergent-like protein that dissolves chunks of the inner membranes of bacteria, killing the infiltrators, researchers report in the July 16 Science.
“Professional” immune cells, like antibodies or white blood cells, get lots of attention, but “all cells are endowed with some ability to combat infection,” says John MacMicking, an immunologist at Yale University.
In humans, these run-of-the-mill cellular defenses have often been overlooked, MacMicking says, even though they are part of “an ancient and primordial defense system” and could inform the development of treatments for
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