The senile brain lacks chaperones
Aging is the most significant and universal risk factor for the development of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. The magnitude of this risk increases rapidly with aging, but the reason for this is unclear.
Researchers at Northwestern University (USA), Proteostasis Therapeutics and Harvard University were able to partially explain this pattern. They demonstrated that in the brain cells of both healthy and aging people suffering from various diseases, there is a significant decrease in the expression of genes encoding protective proteins known as molecular chaperones. Moreover, this decrease is most pronounced in the brain cells of people suffering from neurodegenerative conditions.
Upon a more detailed study of the issue, a decrease in the expression of 100 genes was demonstrated, which approximately corresponds to one third of the genes of human molecular chaperones. Later, this list was reduced to 28 genes involved in age-related neurodegenerative processes. These genes can be used as biomarkers or indicators of diseases, as well as targets for the development of new drugs.
According to one of the leaders of the study, Professor Richard I. Morimoto, molecular chaperones are a kind of barrier between diseases and health. The extinction of the functioning of this vital system leads to the accumulation of damaged and abnormal protein molecules, which ultimately leads to disruption of the vital processes of tissues and their death. The development of methods for maintaining the functionality of chaperones will allow aging people to maintain their health.
In the near future, researchers plan to investigate the causes of the extinction of the expression of identified genes and develop interventions aimed at preventing it. The ultimate goal of this work is not the immortality of man, but the equalization of life expectancy with the duration of the so-called "healthy life", in other words, improving the quality of life in old age.
A diagram from the article by Brehme et al. A Chaperome Subnetwork Safeguards Proteostasis in Aging and Neurodegenerative Disease,
published in the journal Cell Reports.
Evgeniya Ryabtseva
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on the materials of Northwestern University:
Even When You’re Older You Need Chaperones.
06.11.2014