Researchers at the University of Virginia have discovered how harmful Tau proteins damage human brain cells. The discovery could lead to new treatments for this neurodegenerative disease. The team of American researchers discovered that the toxic protein Tau deforms the nuclei of nerve cells, or neurons. This alters the function of the genes contained within and reprograms cells to produce more Tau protein. While the protein has long been a prime suspect in Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative “taupathies,” the new research is among the first to identify concrete physical damage to the that Tau causes to neurons. Thus, the research provides scientists with exciting leads as they work to develop new treatments for Alzheimer’s disease and taupathies, which are currently untreatable. “A lot of great research has been done by other labs to find out how toxic Tau proteins spread from one neuron to another in the brain, but very little is known about exactly how they damage neurons,” explained the objective of the study, George Bloom, Ph.D., from the Departments of Biology of Cellular and Neuroscience at UVA, and the Brain Institute Alzheimer’s Center in Virginia. antibodies or other drugs, it would be possible to slow or stop the progression of Alzheimer’s disease and other taupathies,” said the American researcher. Taupathies are characterized by the accumulation of Tau proteins inside the brain. Alzheimer’s disease is well known, but there are many other taupathies, including frontotemporal lobar degeneration, progressive supranuclear palsy, and chronic traumatic encephalopathy. These diseases usually present as dementia, personality changes, and movement problems. There are no treatments available for taupathies that are not part of Alzheimer’s disease, so researchers at at UVA set out to better understand what is happening so that they can find ways to prevent or treat them. The UVA team discovered that Tau “oligomers”, assemblies of several Tau proteins, can have effects dramatic effects on the shape of neuronal nuclei, which normally have a smooth surface. The oligomers cause the nuclei to fold, disrupting the genetic material contained within them. The physical location and physical arrangement of genes affects how they function, so this unnatural rearrangement can have harmful effects. “Finding that Tau oligomers change the shape of the nucleus led us to the next step, which was to test the idea that changes in gene expression are caused by the change in nuclear shape,” Bloom explained. This is exactly what the UVA team saw for many genes, the biggest change being that the gene for Tau itself increases its expression nearly threefold. According to the researchers, toxic Tau could causes neurons to produce more bad tau, just like a snowball rolling downhill, metaphorically speaking. Researchers found that patients with Alzheimer’s disease had twice as many nuclei with folding defects as people without the condition .Increases were also seen in laboratory mice used as models of Alzheimer’s disease and another taupathi.The UVA team says further research into how this process occurs could lead to new ways of prevention and treatment. of Alzheimer’s disease and other taupathies. American scientists published their conclusions in the scientific journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia, cites stiripesource.ro.
2023-12-27 23:57:16
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