A natural protein may protect the GI tract from infection

A natural protein may protect the GI tract from infection Intelectin-2 could be useful in treating inflammatory bowel disease and antibiotic-resistant pathogens. Embedded in the body’s mucosal surfaces, proteins called lectins bind to sugars found on cell surfaces. A team led by MIT chemistry professor Laura Kiessling has found that one such protein, intelectin-2, both helps fortify the mucosal barrier and offers broad-spectrum protection against harmful bacteria found in the GI tract. Intelectin-2 binds to a sugar molecule called galactose that is found on bacterial membranes, the team found, trapping the bacteria and hindering their growth; the trapped microbes eventually disintegrate, suggesting that the protein is able to kill them by disrupting their cell membranes. It also helps strengthen the intestine’s protective lining by binding to the galactose in the mucins that make up mucus. “What’s remarkable is that intelectin-2…