[HN Gopher] Carbon nanotube recognition by human Siglec-14 provo...
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Carbon nanotube recognition by human Siglec-14 provokes
inflammation
Author : PaulHoule
Score : 54 points
Date : 2023-04-07 18:25 UTC (4 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (www.nature.com)
(TXT) w3m dump (www.nature.com)
| alexpotato wrote:
| I remember reading a comment here on Hacker News years ago and
| someone mentioned: "I wonder if carbon nanotubes are going to be
| the asbestos of the 21st century?"
|
| Looks like we're finding out if that is the case.
| PaulHoule wrote:
| Alternately if asbestos was discovered today people would call
| it "nanotechnology".
|
| I've noticed that contemporary toasters are a lot slower than
| toasters used to be and I guess that's because old toasters
| contained asbestos. I remember the first Chinese-made toaster
| my mother in law got from Wal _Mart that she was amazed by
| until it caught on fire, then after that toasters from Wal_
| Mart were all very slow models that made up for being slow by
| having four or more slots.
| gojomo wrote:
| Aren't allergic reactions to nanotech detritus in the atmosphere
| a bit of background detail in Stephenson's 'Diamond Age' (1995)?
| Havoc wrote:
| I recall it mentioning nanotech dust in the air and filters for
| it along with it being a socio-economic signifier (i.e. living
| in pollution), but not allergy specifically
| drojas wrote:
| If anyone is interested. I went to ChatGPT to ask about: what
| supplements or foods contain blockers or inhibitors of Siglec-14
| and the Syk tyrosine kinase
|
| """ There is limited information on supplements or foods that
| contain blockers or inhibitors of Siglec-14 and Syk tyrosine
| kinase. However, some studies suggest that certain dietary
| components may have anti-inflammatory effects and may modulate
| the activity of these molecules indirectly. Here are some
| examples:
|
| Omega-3 fatty acids: These essential fatty acids are found in
| fatty fish, such as salmon, mackerel, and sardines, as well as in
| flaxseeds, chia seeds, and walnuts. Omega-3 fatty acids have been
| shown to have anti-inflammatory effects and may inhibit the
| activation of Syk tyrosine kinase.
|
| Curcumin: This polyphenol is found in turmeric, a spice commonly
| used in Indian cuisine. Curcumin has been shown to have anti-
| inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects and may inhibit the
| activation of Syk tyrosine kinase.
|
| Green tea: This beverage is rich in polyphenols, particularly
| catechins, which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.
| Some studies suggest that catechins may inhibit the activity of
| Syk tyrosine kinase.
|
| Quercetin: This flavonoid is found in many fruits and vegetables,
| including apples, onions, and berries. Quercetin has been shown
| to have anti-inflammatory effects and may inhibit the activity of
| Syk tyrosine kinase.
|
| It is important to note that the efficacy and safety of using
| dietary components as blockers or inhibitors of Siglec-14 and Syk
| tyrosine kinase have not been extensively studied, and dietary
| supplements should always be used with caution and under the
| guidance of a healthcare professional. """
| hirenj wrote:
| I mean if you want to go down the path of indiscriminately
| competitively binding Siglecs, I would read up about how NeuGc
| (which is found on meats) gets incorporated on our cells. Of
| course then you might end up in trouble with
| inflammation/cancer. No silver bullets here!
| blobbers wrote:
| That read like a youtube grifter ;)
| hirenj wrote:
| Siglecs are SUPER important immune receptors that normally
| antagonise or induce tolerance in the immune system. Normally
| they recognise different sialic acids (e.g., the same ones
| recognised by hemaglutinin in influenza) and depending on the
| health of the cells you can induce different responses in your
| immune cells.
|
| We've done a bit of work in our lab on these receptors, trying to
| figure out what their natural ligands are. Crazy that the carbon
| nanotubes are also recognised. I'll need to check my notes, but I
| think that the loops that are recognising the nanotubes aren't
| where the binding normally is for sialic acids, so it's all very
| interesting!
|
| Additional thoughts: I wonder if anyone has tried throwing viral
| particles or protein pathogens on a carbon nanotube to check for
| binding. The other Siglecs don't interact, but hey, maybe we're
| lucky and all these pathogen related sialic acid binders happen
| to have the right residues in place! The SRR bacterial adhesins
| off the top of my head might be candidates.
| cypherpunks01 wrote:
| Excuse my ignorance, but how are there carbon nanotube
| recognizing immune receptors? Do the tubes just happen to fit
| in the receptors because of their size or shape, or is there
| something about the tubes that trigger the receptors?
| hirenj wrote:
| The receptors have these floppy loops which are great for
| bending into the right conformation to recognise different
| things. It turns out that if they have a few aromatic
| residues they just happen to recognise carbon nanotubes. It's
| unlikely this is something that evolved, and much more just
| some bad luck in recognising this particular shape.
| robbintt wrote:
| Wouldn't an aromatic loop have a high affinity for anything
| with some relatively large / low density (amenable to
| moving around) electron field?
| maxbond wrote:
| Something that tickles me about this idea is that, if you
| think of proteins recognizing these small molecules as
| lock-and-key (I know that model is outmoded), this is the
| equivalent of a self-impressioning attack (like the Bic
| pen attack on cheap tubular locks).
| [deleted]
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