Genomic response to inflammation tracked

GAINESVILLE, Fla., Sep 06, 2005 (United Press International via COMTEX) -- Researchers say they've discovered more than 15 percent of our genes are mobilized to defend against microbial attacks.

The body's genetic defense was discovered during an analysis of gene activity in volunteers who were injected with a bacterial product that temporarily created flu-like symptoms.

The scientists said the finding has implications for the survival of patients who are severely burned or injured.

"During a 24-hour period, the expression of more than 3,700 genes changed in blood leukocytes," said Lyle Moldawer, a professor of surgery in the University of Florida College of Medicine.

"It was a dramatic reprioritization of genes," said Moldawer, a member of the national consortium that published the findings. "We have now identified previously unknown relationships among different genes that tell us in greater detail how blood cells respond to an infectious challenge."

Inflammation is part of healing when people are severely burned or injured, but in some patients, it can be fatal, causing bloodstream infections and multiple organ failure. Learning how and why inflammation becomes harmful will help doctors more accurately predict how each injured patient will fare, Moldawer said.

The study appears in the online edition of the journal Nature.