PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

How problems with an Alzheimer's protein can jam up traffic in the brain

Study shows how the wrong levels of a protein linked with Alzheimer's disease can lead to dangerous blockages in brain cells

2013-10-28
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Charlotte Hsu
chsu22@buffalo.edu
716-645-4655
University at Buffalo
How problems with an Alzheimer's protein can jam up traffic in the brain Study shows how the wrong levels of a protein linked with Alzheimer's disease can lead to dangerous blockages in brain cells

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Scientists have known for some time that a protein called presenilin plays a role in Alzheimer's disease, and a new study reveals one intriguing way this happens.

It has to do with how materials travel up and down brain cells, which are also called neurons.

In an Oct. 8 paper in Human Molecular Genetics, University at Buffalo researchers report that presenilin works with an enzyme called GSK-3ß to control how fast materials — like proteins needed for cell survival — move through the cells.

"If you have too much presenilin or too little, it disrupts the activity of GSK-3ß, and the transport of cargo along neurons becomes uncoordinated," says lead researcher Shermali Gunawardena, PhD, an assistant professor of biological sciences at UB. "This can lead to dangerous blockages."

More than 150 mutations of presenilin have been found in Alzheimer's patients, and scientists have previously shown that the protein, when defective, can cause neuronal blockages by snipping another protein into pieces that accumulate in brain cells.

But this well-known mechanism isn't the only way presenilin fuels disease, as Gunawardena's new study shows.

"Our work elucidates how problems with presenilin could contribute to early problems observed in Alzheimer's disease," she says. "It highlights a potential pathway for early intervention through drugs — prior to neuronal loss and clinical manifestations of disease."

The study suggests that presenilin activates GSK-3ß. This is an important finding because the enzyme helps control the speed at which tiny, organic bubbles called vesicles ferry cargo along neuronal highways. (You can think of vesicles as trucks, each powered by little molecular motors called dyneins and kinesins.)

When researchers lowered the amount of presenilin in the neurons of fruit fly larvae, less GSK-3ß became activated and vesicles began speeding along cells in an uncontrolled manner.

Decreasing levels of both presenilin and GSK-3ß at once made things worse, resulting in "traffic jams" as the bubbles got stuck in neurons.

"Both GSK-3ß and presenilin have been shown to be involved in Alzheimer's disease, but how they are involved has not always been clear," Gunawardena says. "Our research provides new insight into this question."

Gunawardena proposes that GSK-3ß — short for glycogen synthase kinase-3beta — acts as an "on switch" for dynein and kynesin motors, telling them when to latch onto vesicles.

Dyneins carry vesicles toward the cell nucleus, while kinesins move in the other direction, toward the periphery of the cell. When all is well and GSK-3ß levels are normal, both types of motors bind to vesicles in carefully calibrated numbers, resulting in smooth traffic flow along neurons.

That's why it's so dangerous when GSK-3ß levels are off-kilter, she says.

When GSK-3ß levels are high, too many motors attach to the vesicles, leading to slow movement as motor activity loses coordination. Low GSK-3ß levels appear to have the opposite effect, causing fast, uncontrolled movement as too few motors latch onto vesicles.

Both scenarios — too much GSK-3ß or too little — can result in neuronal blockages.



INFORMATION:

The study appeared online in Human Molecular Genetics on Oct. 8 and will be published in a forthcoming print edition of the journal. Funding for the research came from the John R. Oishei Foundation, a Fulbright Scholarship and fellowships from the University at Buffalo Center for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities.



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Social science graduates more likely to be in work than science or arts graduates, report says

2013-10-28
Social science graduates more likely to be in work than science or arts graduates, report says Social science graduates are more likely to be in employment after their first degree than graduates in other areas such as science and the arts, and a higher proportion ...

Minimally invasive surgery for paraesophageal hernia is 'revolutionary' -- but experts still differ on

2013-10-28
Minimally invasive surgery for paraesophageal hernia is 'revolutionary' -- but experts still differ on 'Current controversies' in laparascopic paraesophageal hernia repair are highlighted in Surgical Laparoscopy, Endoscopy & Percutaneous Techniques Philadelphia, ...

Many bushfires in New South Wales, Australia

2013-10-28
Many bushfires in New South Wales, Australia NASA's Terra satellite detected dozens of bushfires continued raging in the Australian state of New South Wales, outside of Sydney. Sydney is the state capital and the most populated city in Australia. According to ...

Extra-Tropical Storm Lekima weakens in Northern Pacific

2013-10-28
Extra-Tropical Storm Lekima weakens in Northern Pacific Once a typhoon now an extra-tropical cyclone in the far northern Pacific Ocean, Lekima is weakening over cool waters. NASA's Aqua satellite captured the last image of Lekima as a typhoon before it weakened. On ...

The Chemistry of Fear: A new video from the American Chemical Society

2013-10-28
The Chemistry of Fear: A new video from the American Chemical Society With Halloween just a few days away, millions are flocking to horror films and haunted houses for their annual dose of terror. The latest video from the American Chemical Society's (ACS) ...

Poor motor performance linked to poor academic skills in the first school years

2013-10-28
Poor motor performance linked to poor academic skills in the first school years Children with poor motor performance at the school entry were found to have poorer reading and arithmetic skills than their better performing peers during the first three years of school. However, ...

Crying wolf: Who benefits and when?

2013-10-28
Crying wolf: Who benefits and when? BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- A crisis at work can bring out the best in colleagues, often inspiring more cooperation and self-sacrifice. A new study from Indiana University and the University of Guelphhas found that the benefits are not shared ...

New imaging research shows increased iron in the brain in earliest stages of MS

2013-10-28
New imaging research shows increased iron in the brain in earliest stages of MS VIDEO: As Western University scientist Ravi Menon, Ph.D., explains, it's ...

Discovery could lead to anti-clotting drugs with less risk of bleeding

2013-10-28
Discovery could lead to anti-clotting drugs with less risk of bleeding Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago have discovered a molecular switch that causes small, beneficial clots that stop bleeding to enlarge further during wound healing. ...

GVSU study on gender: Who counts as a man and who counts as a woman

2013-10-28
GVSU study on gender: Who counts as a man and who counts as a woman ALLENDALE, Mich. — Gender is no longer determined solely by biological factors, according to a new study by a Grand Valley State University researcher whose article, "Doing Gender, Determining ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Brain stimulation can boost math learning in people with weaker neural connections

Inhibiting enzyme could halt cell death in Parkinson’s disease, study finds

Neurotechnology reverses biological disadvantage in maths learning

UNDER EMBARGO: Neurotechnology reverses biological disadvantage in maths learning

Scientists target ‘molecular machine’ in the war against antimicrobial resistance

Extending classical CNOP method for deep-learning atmospheric and oceanic forecasting

Aston University research: Parents should encourage structure and independence around food to support children’s healthy eating

Thunderstorms are a major driver of tree death in tropical forests

Danforth Plant Science Center adds two new faculty members

Robotic eyes mimic human vision for superfast response to extreme lighting

Racial inequities and access to COVID-19 treatment

Residential segregation and lung cancer risk in African American adults

Scientists wipe out aggressive brain cancer tumors by targeting cellular ‘motors’

Capturability distinction analysis of continuous and pulsed guidance laws

CHEST expands Bridging Specialties Initiative to include NTM disease and bronchiectasis on World Bronchiectasis Day

Exposure to air pollution may cause heart damage

SwRI, UTSA selected by NASA to test electrolyzer technology aboard parabolic flight

Prebiotics might be a factor in preventing or treating issues caused by low brain GABA

Youngest in class at higher risk of mental health problems

American Heart Association announces new volunteer leaders for 2025-26

Gut microbiota analysis can help catch gestational diabetes

FAU’s Paulina DeVito awarded prestigious NSF Graduate Research Fellowship

Champions for change – Paid time off initiative just made clinical trials participation easier

Fentanyl detection through packaging

Prof. Eran Meshorer elected to EMBO for pioneering work in epigenetics

New 3D glacier visualizations provide insights into a hotter Earth

Creativity across disciplines

Consequences of low Antarctic sea ice

Hear here: How loudness and acoustic cues help us judge where a speaker is facing

A unique method of rare-earth recycling can strengthen the raw material independence of Europe and America

[Press-News.org] How problems with an Alzheimer's protein can jam up traffic in the brain
Study shows how the wrong levels of a protein linked with Alzheimer's disease can lead to dangerous blockages in brain cells