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BFT Toxin Target Discovered | Science News
Scientists have cracked the mystery of how a common gut bacterium triggers colon cancer — and it’s all about a sneaky toxin that hijacks a key cell receptor. Researchers at Johns Hopkins discovered that the toxin BFT binds to claudin-four, a protein on colon cells, to break down the protective barrier and set off inflammation and tumor growth. Using CRISPR screening, they pinpointed claudin-four as the critical target — and when they blocked it, the toxin couldn’t harm cells. Now, they’ve engineered a decoy protein that successfully traps the toxin in mice, offering a promising new strategy…
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