Carbohydrate-binding proteins mitigate parasitic infection in heart tissue

(PLOS) Chagas disease is the main cause of infectious heart disease in Latin America. Researchers from the INGEBI and IBYME Institutes in Argentina explored the effect of glycan binding protein interactions between the human host and Typanosoma cruzi parasite. They found that a glycan binding protein expressed in humans modified the infection in cells of the heart muscle, showing the importance of galectins in the response to parasite infection.
Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - Category: Global & Universal Source Type: news