BAM! A new immune system.

[Auxin]

New immune system discovered

May 20, 2013 by Natalia Van Stralen in Immunology

(Medical Xpress)—A research team, led by Jeremy Barr, a biology post-doctoral fellow, unveils a new immune system that protects humans and animals from infection.

Mucus may be slimy and gross, but a San Diego State University research team, led by Biology Post-doctoral Fellow Jeremy Barr, has discovered that it is also home to a powerful immune system that could change the way doctors treat a number of diseases.

In this previously undocumented immune system, researchers uncovered bacteria-infecting viruses known as bacteriophage, which shield the body from invading infection.

The discovery, made possible with funding from the National Institutes of Health, concentrates on the protective layers of mucus which are present in all humans and animals. It serves both as a home for large populations of beneficial microbes—which can include fungi, bacteria and viruses—and as an entry point for infection.

A new immune system

The researchers sampled mucus from animals and humans—ranging from a sea anemone to a mouse and a person—and found that bacteriophage adheres to the mucus layer on all of them.

They placed bacteriophage on top of a layer of mucus-producing tissue and observed that the bacteriophage formed bonds with sugars within the mucus, causing them to adhere to the surface. They then challenged these mucus cells with E. coli bacteria and found that the bacteriophage attacked and killed off the E. coli in the mucus, effectively forming an anti-microbial barrier on the host that protected it from infection and disease.

To confirm their discovery, the team also conducted parallel research challenging non-mucus producing cells with both bacteriophage and E. coli. The results—the samples with no mucus had three times more cell death.

"Taking previous research into consideration, we are able to propose the Bacteriophage Adherence to Mucus—or BAM—is a new model of immunity, which emphasizes the important role bacteriophage play in protecting the body from invading pathogens," Barr said.

A hidden protector

According to Barr, part of what makes this research so novel is that bacteriophage are already present on all humans and animals.

The body recruits the bacteriophage from the environment, which then naturally sticks to mucus layers across various parts of the body including the mouth and gut. The bacteriophage then becomes a protector of its host, accumulating and attacking on its own.

"This discovery not only proposes a new immune system but also demonstrates the first symbiotic relationship between phage and animals," Barr said. "It will have a significant impact across numerous fields."

"The research could be applied to any mucosal surface," Barr said. "We envision BAM influencing the prevention and treatment of mucosal infections seen in the gut and lungs, having applications for phage therapy and even directly interacting with the human immune system."

The research was published in the May Early Edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

[1]

I disagree with their assertion that mucous is slimy and gross, I find it can provide hours of fun, but the finding that bacteriophage symbiotes act as a segment of the human immune system is pretty nifty. Lots of potential research directions for this one.

[CβL]

That is cool! I wonder where these phages come from? IIRC our DNA contains something like 60,000+ viruses encoded into it. Secondly - are certain immune diseases caused by problems with these bacteriophages?

[Auxin]

If anything I expect they will find that an induced lack of bacteriophages may promote immune diseases.

With our bacterial symbionts our immune system uses them as a sort of testing ground to train the immune system not to attack itself and excessive hygiene, overly sterile, low fiber, and artificial foods, antibiotics, etc. are hypothesized to contribute to a general deregulation of immune function that promotes arthritis, allergies, MS, etc. because they take away that training ground (as well as other bad things).

It wouldnt surprise me if eventually we start discovering that some common materials.. drugs and cleaners and fire retardants, etc.. that we're exposed to weakens the bacteriophage populations and leads not only to more susceptibility to the bacteria they fought but also an adaptive immune system less 'educated' in dealing with harmful viruses.

For instance, in the absence of pneumonia the flu generally kills otherwise healthy people by means of cytokine storm, an immune response that spirals out of all rational control.

Might it be that we're inadvertently killing off our bacteriophages and thus increasing likelihood of such a reaction?

Thats one of the questions I hope are addressed over the next ten years of research.

[Thelema]

Is this why the body produces mucus in response to bacterial infection of the mucosa?

[mauve]

That could explain why liquorice has an immune system boosting effect: liquorice primary action is to augment mucus production.

[Torsten]

Haven't the russians been using mucus phages for decades in preference to antibiotics? are these US researchers reinventing the wheel, or was the russian research not robust enough? or am I misunderstanding something?