A new target for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease

50 shades of Alzheimer's

Dasha Ovsyannikova, Neuron News

In the culture of neurons, the tau protein is highlighted in green, the structural components of cells are highlighted in red, and DNA in the nuclei of cells is highlighted in blue. A snapshot from the press release of UNSW Discovery opens door to new Alzheimer's treatments - VM.

Indicators of Alzheimer's disease, the most common cause of dementia, are beta–amyloid plaques and intracellular accumulations of tau protein. It is believed that they are responsible for the resulting defects in the brain. One of the first stages of the development of neuropathologies in Alzheimer's is the incorrect modification of the tau protein, namely the addition of phosphoric acid residues (phosphorylation) in the wrong places. Such incorrectly modulated proteins "stick together" with each other. And beta-amyloid plaques trigger this cascade of events in the tau protein.

Incorrect modification of the tau protein is absolutely necessary for the development of Alzheimer's – if the tau protein is removed from the cells in a timely manner, there will be no damage in the brain, despite the presence of beta-amyloid plaques. It turns out that phosphorylation of tau protein is definitely evil and leads to problems in the brain. But it turned out that no – the picture, as usual in biology, is not black and white, but with 50 shades of gray.

A team from the University of New South Wales found that adding a phosphoric acid residue to a specific location in the tau protein inhibits the toxicity of beta-amyloid plaques and stops the death of neurons. They found which enzyme in mice is responsible for this modification (kinase p38Y). Deletion of this gene in mice led to brain defects, cognitive problems and premature death.

On the one hand, given how much research focuses on the signs of Alzheimer's disease, it is surprising to find that phosphorylation of the tau protein is not always bad for the nervous system. On the other hand, this discovery is consistent with previous data (and common sense) – the tau protein is involved not only in the development of Alzheimer's disease, but is also necessary for the normal functioning of the cell.

Article by Ittner et al. Site-specific phosphorylation of tau inhibits amyloid-β toxicity in Alzheimer's mice is published in the journal Science.

Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru  01.12.2016