EMD Millipore eBook - 16

Plague Protein

Stalls Cell Death,
Speeds Host Death
MEASURING CASPASE ACTIVITY

Kevin Mayer

T

he plague, author of some of civilization's
darkest chapters, has managed to keep many
of its secrets. In particular, how does it manage
to evade the immune system? This trick is
especially deadly in cases of pneumonic plague,
which occurs when the bacterium Yersina pestis
enters the lungs. Without treatment, the respiratory
infection is 100% fatal, often within a matter of
days. Even though treatment with antibiotics is
16

| GENengnews.com

Plague bacteria block lungs from clearing infection by degrading
FasL, abolishing caspase-dependent apoptosis.

effective, delays in treatment or misdiagnosis
can be deadly-a sobering thought, given that
pneumonic plague is reemerging as a public
health concern in multiple countries in Africa.
Also, Y. pestis may serve as a weapon of
bioterrorism or biowarfare.
A less alarming reason to unravel the secrets
of Y. pestis is simply to learn what mechanisms
the bacterium shares with other organisms.

Precisely quantitate cell death and 'executioner' caspase activation
with the novel Muse® flow cytometry platform and Muse® Caspase
3/7 Assay Kit.

Demo Muse® Cell Analyzer
www.emdmillipore.com/muse

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