00:00Sometimes the body's immune system is a bit overzealous and with some autoimmune disorders
00:09the body can end up attacking its own cells. Well now researchers say they have identified
00:13the switch which may be able to eventually prevent that from happening. The discovery
00:18was made by scientists with the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Luzon and they identified
00:23a specific enzyme called cyclic TMP-AMP synthase or CGAS. It's a protein that can identify
00:29viruses that enter the body, binding to their DNA and taking it to the cell's cytoplasm
00:34while telling the body to come take care of it. Now the researchers say they've been able
00:38to identify the off switch for CGAS which signals the body to get rid of the enzyme in areas
00:45it's not needed. Using lab-grown cells the researchers say they found a protein complex
00:49called CRL5-SPSB3. It allows the release of another chemical called ubiquitin, a compound
00:56which causes CGAS to disappear without attacking a cell it deems foreign, meaning CGAS will
01:02no longer be able to attack healthy cells that are no threat to the body. The researchers
01:06say next steps involve developing new therapies which may help those who suffer from autoimmune
01:11diseases.
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