(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.
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
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:
Exercise as an anti-ageing intervention to avoid detrimental impact of mental fatigue
UMass Amherst Nursing Professor Emerita honored as ‘Living Legend’
New guidelines aim to improve cystic fibrosis screening
Picky eaters by day, buffet by night: Butterfly, moth diets sync to plant aromas
Pennington Biomedical’s Dr. Leanne Redman honored with the E. V. McCollum Award from the American Society for Nutrition
CCNY physicists uncover electronic interactions mediated via spin waves
Researchers’ 3D-printing formula may transform future of foam
Nurture more important than nature for robotic hand
Drug-delivering aptamers target leukemia stem cells for one-two knockout punch
New study finds that over 95% of sponsored influencer posts on Twitter were not disclosed
New sea grant report helps great lakes fish farmers navigate aquaculture regulations
Strain “trick” improves perovskite solar cells’ efficiency
How GPS helps older drivers stay on the roads
Estrogen and progesterone stimulate the body to make opioids
Dancing with the cells – how acoustically levitating a diamond led to a breakthrough in biotech automation
Machine learning helps construct an evolutionary timeline of bacteria
Cellular regulator of mRNA vaccine revealed... offering new therapeutic options
Animal behavioral diversity at risk in the face of declining biodiversity
Finding their way: GPS ignites independence in older adult drivers
Antibiotic resistance among key bacterial species plateaus over time
‘Some insects are declining but what’s happening to the other 99%?’
Powerful new software platform could reshape biomedical research by making data analysis more accessible
Revealing capillaries and cells in living organs with ultrasound
American College of Physicians awards $260,000 in grants to address equity challenges in obesity care
Researchers from MARE ULisboa discover that the European catfish, an invasive species in Portugal, has a prolonged breeding season, enhancing its invasive potential
Rakesh K. Jain, PhD, FAACR, honored with the 2025 AACR Award for Lifetime Achievement in Cancer Research
Solar cells made of moon dust could power future space exploration
Deporting immigrants may further shrink the health care workforce
Border region emergency medical services in migrant emergency care
Resident physician intentions regarding unionization
[Press-News.org] How problems with an Alzheimer's protein can jam up traffic in the brainStudy shows how the wrong levels of a protein linked with Alzheimer's disease can lead to dangerous blockages in brain cells