Starting signal for antiviral defense seen in cells
Thursday, May 8, 2014 - 10:02
in Biology & Nature
Cells have to protect themselves: against damage in their genetic material for one thing, but also against attack from the outside, by viruses for example. They do this by using different mechanisms: special proteins search out and detect defects in the cell's own DNA, while the immune system takes action against intruders. Scientists have now shown that the two protective mechanisms are linked by a shared protein.