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Now, the receptor for protective antigen has been identified by a team led by authors. The receptor spans the cell membrane once. The extracellular side contains a small motif--called von Willebrand factor A domain--to which protective antigen binds. On its own in solution, this segment protects cells exposed to anthrax toxin. "It acts like a decoy, tying up protective antigen so that it does not bind to the cell surface, where it can cause damage. "It is potentially therapeutic if used in sufficient amounts, but we haven't tested it yet on animal models. All we've done so far is protect cells growing in a dish." H author`s lab lab is working to get enough receptor protein for a crystal structure. But even without a crystal structure, identification of the receptor now allows pharmaceutical companies to begin screening for small molecules that can disrupt the binding of protective antigen to the cell surface or that are better decoys than the soluble binding domain
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