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Gates of Janus: cystic fibrosis and diarrhea
1Dept of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21209.
Trends in Microbiology
|March 1, 1994
Abstract:
Heat-stable enterotoxin, produced by Escherichia coli, binds to particulate guanylate cyclase to increase cyclic GMP in intestinal cells. This in turn stimulates the cyclic-GMP- or cyclic-AMP-dependent protein kinase, activating the same chloride channel that is defective in cystic fibrosis. It is possible that the relatively high prevalence of cystic fibrosis in humans results from its protective effect against diarrhea.