Question

membrane. the antimicrobial peptide shows promise for protecting humans from cancer; it can inhibit the growth of prostate and bladder cancer cells. however, until now, it was not clear how mp1 selectively destroys cancer cells without harming normal cells. researchers suspected that the reason might have something to do with the unique properties of cancer cell membranes. in healthy cell membranes, phospholipids called phosphatidylserine (ps) and phosphatidylethanolamine (pe) are located in the inner membrane leaflet facing the inside of the cell. but in cancer cells, ps and pe are embedded in the outer membrane leaflet facing the cell surroundings. the researchers tested their theory by creating model membranes, some of which contained pe and/or ps, and exposing them to mp1. the presence of ps increased the binding of mp1 to the membrane and the presence of pe enhanced mp1s ability to quickly disrupt the membrane, increasing the size of holes. these large pores allowed molecules like rna and proteins to leak out of the cell. in future studies, the researchers plan to alter mp1s amino acid sequence to examine how the peptides structure relates to its function and further improve the peptides selectivity and potency for clinical purposes. \understanding the mechanism of action of this peptide will help in translational studies to further assess the potential for this peptide to be used in medicine,\ beales says. \as it has been shown to be selective to cancer cells and non - toxic to normal cells in the lab, this peptide has the potential to be safe, but further work would be required to prove that.\ how to find out the reasons with unique properties of cancer 3. what claim is being made by the researchers? the claim thats being made by the researchers is that brazilian wasps on how the wasps are able to break down the cancer without it affecting the normal cells. 4. what evidence supports the claim? in paragraph 5. how is mp1 able to discriminate between normal cells and cancer cells? 6. what is the potential benefit of the mp1 in medicine?

Explanation:

For question 4, the evidence is in the third paragraph. It describes the experiment where model membranes with PS and/or PE were exposed to MP1. The presence of PS increased binding and PE enhanced disruption. For question 5, the difference in membrane phospholipid (PS and PE) location (inner in normal, outer in cancer) allows MP1 to act selectively. For question 6, MP1 can inhibit cancer cell (prostate, bladder) growth and has potential to be safe (selective to cancer, non - toxic to normal in lab) for medical use.

Answer:

1. In the third paragraph, researchers created model membranes with PS and/or PE and exposed them to MP1. PS increased binding and PE enhanced membrane disruption.
2. In normal cells, PS and PE are in the inner membrane leaflet. In cancer cells, they are in the outer leaflet. MP1 interacts differently with these membranes.
3. MP1 can inhibit the growth of prostate and bladder cancer cells. It has shown selectivity to cancer cells and non - toxicity to normal cells in the lab, suggesting potential for medical use.