Destruction of bacteria proteins tears

A new study by researchers at the University of Irvine, California tried to discover how a protein localized in human tears and involved in immune defense can kill bacteria.

Researchers believe that this study may be crucial for long-term activity designed to diagnose cancer in its early stages.
Even a century ago, when Alexander Fleming, Nobel laureate, discovered that human tears contain proteins called lysozyme antiseptic, scientists tried to find out if they could neutralize bigger and more virulent bacteria.
It was found that lysozyme molecules have a kind of "Jaws" that catch and chew rows of cells in a similar way a man eats a corn. Through this process, the protein walls destroys bacteria trying to enter the eye and infect them.



To decode this behavior, scientists have created the smallest transistors, with dimensions 25 times smaller than a smartphone. Thus, we could monitor how each molecule of lysozyme destroys a piece of bacteria in a similar way in which a doctor listens to the heartbeat with a stethoscope.

Transistor assembly and attach it to a single protein molecule taken from human tears lasted for years, but experts hope that the next decade, technology can be used to detect cancers and other diseases.
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