Respiratory proteins of vertebrates (hemoglobin) and invertebrates (hemocyanin) can generate highly reactive oxygen intermediates. New work shows that microbial compounds directly activate this release of reactive oxygen intermediates that kills the microbes.
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Kim Caesar
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Bogdan, C. Oxidative burst without phagocytes: the role of respiratory proteins. Nat Immunol 8, 1029–1031 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/ni1007-1029
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ni1007-1029