UNC Researchers Identify Molecule that Triggers Septic Shock (IMAGE)

University of North Carolina Health Care

UNC Researchers Identify Molecule that Triggers Septic Shock

Caption

Researchers at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine have identified a sensor pathway inside cells. These internal sensors are like motion detectors inside a house; they trigger an alarm that signals for help -- a response from the immune system. This research, published in the Sept. 13, 2013 issue of the journal Science, indicates that both exterior and interior sensors work together to detect the same component of bacterial cell membranes, a molecule called lipopolysaccharide or LPS.

Credit

Max Englund/UNC Medical Center News Office

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