Researchers from IOCB Prague are furthering the understanding of how medicines work and what it takes to develop their most effective variants. In one current study, they have focused on the disease caused by the protozoan parasite Trichomonas vaginalis , especially because of the recent appearance of strains that are resistant to conventional treatment. In an effort to find a new weak spot of this parasite, the research group led by Dr.
Evžen Bouřa has succeeded in preparing a key enzyme complex – the proteasome. This has made it possible to gain knowledge that is indispensable for the development of new effective medicines. The research was carried out in collaboration with colleagues from the University of California San Diego.
An article presenting the work has been published in the scientific journal Nature Communications . The proteasome is a complex protease that works as a device for recycling old proteins in cells. It is a cylindrical enzyme complex composed of seven subunits arranged in four superposed circles.
When old proteins enter this cylinder, they get broken down into small pieces later used by the cell to make new proteins. If it functions incorrectly, old proteins accumulate, leading to the cell's demise. This is why the blocking of proteasome activity is used, for example, against certain types of malignant tumours.
In the same way, it should also be possible to treat the widespread sexually transmitted infection trichomoniasis, which increases the r.