User:Achait2023/Guanylate-binding protein

GBP1, the most widely studied GBP, has been studied for its antimicrobial properties. It can effectively polymerize and target the lipopolysaccharide cell wall of gram-negative bacteria. In said bacteria type, the GBP1 polymer coating alters the lipopolysaccharide membrane, allowing access to other parts of the membrane by other innate antimicrobial agents within the cell to cause pathogen cell death. Besides detecting pathogens and causing bacterial cell lysis, GBP1 can also cause host programed cell death.

The GBP family of proteins is highly conserved among many different phyla. They are believed to be a shared gene family that is used to fight off mostly viral, parasitic, and bacterial infections. On that note, the expression of GBPs is noted to increase in humans once the body detects many different types of diseases ranging from the infections listed above to cancer. Due to the similarity between murine and human GBPs, mouse knockout studies have been utilized to investigate the different roles GBPs have in fighting off other diseases. These studies have confirmed that knocking out different GBPs has different effects on combating different infections.