Neurodegeneration and microbes
For the first time, a direct link between intestinal bacteria and neurodegeneration has been established
Georgy Golovanov, Hi-tech+
Neurodegenerative diseases – Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease or amyotrophic lateral syndrome – occur in millions of people, but scientists still cannot understand what causes them. Relatively recently, the cause began to be sought in the intestinal microbiota. American researchers have managed to show that certain types of bacteria play an important role in the development of these diseases.
Article by Walker et al. Colonization of the Caenorhabditis elegans gut with human enteric bacterial pathogens leads to proteostasis disorder that is rescued by butyrate published in the journal PLOS Pathogens – VM.
All neurodegenerative diseases can be reduced to problems with proteins. If protein folding occurs incorrectly, they accumulate in the tissues. This protein aggregation interferes with cell functions and leads to disorders of the nervous system. A team of scientists from The University of Florida decided to investigate whether the introduction of proteotoxic bacteria into C.elegans nematodes can lead to protein aggregation, according to a press release from New Evidence Links Gut Bacteria and Neurodegenerative Conditions.
The assumption turned out to be correct. Improperly folded proteins began to accumulate not only in the intestines, but also in the nerves, muscles and even the reproductive organs of worms. Worms colonized by harmful bacteria lost their mobility – this is a common symptom of neurodegenerative disorders.
The action of pathogenic bacteria is neutralized by butyrates (salts and esters of butyric acid) and butyrogenic bacteria. Figure from the article in PLOS Pathogens – VM.
Oddly enough, the offspring of worms also showed signs of increased protein aggregation, although they did not encounter the bacteria that caused this condition. According to scientists, these bacteria generate something like a signal that can be transmitted from generation to generation. Now scientists are testing hundreds of strains of bacteria that inhabit the human intestine to see how they affect protein aggregation in nematodes. They also study how bacteria associated with neurodegeneration cause protein misfolding at the molecular level. In addition, the researchers were interested in a possible link between resistant bacteria and protein misfolding.
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