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

Has a possible new lead been found in the fight against neurodegenerative diseases?

2014-11-24
(Press-News.org) Good communication between brain cells is vital for optimal (mental) health. Mutations in the TBC1D24 gene inhibit this process, thereby causing neurodegeneration and epilepsy. Fruit flies with a defect in Skywalker, the fruit fly variant of TBC1D24, are being used as a model for neurodegeneration. Researchers from VIB and KU Leuven have succeeded in completely suppressing neurodegeneration in such fruit flies, by partially inhibiting the breakdown of 'defective' proteins in brain cells.

Patrik Verstreken (VIB/KU Leuven): "These unexpected results offer us a new line of approach for research into communication between brain cells. We feel that in time it should be possible to help patients with mutations in the TBC1D24 gene, by partially inhibiting transport to the lysosomes (compartments in the cell that digest various molecules)."

A good model for the study of neurodegenerative diseases We know that mutations in the TBC1D24 gene cause a brain disorder that brings with it conditions including extensive neurodegeneration, epilepsy, mental retardation and hearing problems. Patrik Verstreken and his colleagues have developed fruit flies with mutations in the Skywalker gene, the fruit fly version of TBC1D24. These fruit flies display similar symptoms to patients with brain disorders.

Patrik Verstreken explains: "These fruit flies are not only a suitable model for investigating what goes wrong in the brain, but also for exploring how this can be tackled. For instance we are attempting to reduce or eliminate the symptoms in the fruit flies with mutations in Skywalker by introducing further changes to their DNA. If successful, it means that we have new starting points for our research into neurodegeneration."

Need for "contaminated, defective" proteins Brain cells communicate with one another at a synapse. Ana Clara Fernandes, Valerie Uytterhoeven and their colleagues, led by Patrik Verstreken, were screening for genes with a potential impact on communication between brain cells. In the process they came across HOPS complex genes. The HOPS complex ensures that contaminated, defective proteins at the synapse (where brain cells communicate with one another) are transported to the lysosome, the compartment of the cell responsible for breaking down the proteins.

When the VIB researchers cut out half of the HOPS complex genes in their fruit fly model for neurodegeneration, the flies were found to be no longer ill. Initially this seems rather strange, because a less active HOPS complex means that the transport of defective proteins to the degradation site is not working as well as it should. This research has shown, however, that defective proteins also play a role at the synapse. These surprising results offer a new line of approach for research into brain disorders.

INFORMATION:



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

High-dose interleukin-2 effective in mRCC pre-treated with VEGF-targeted therapies

High-dose interleukin-2 effective in mRCC pre-treated with VEGF-targeted therapies
2014-11-24
VIDEO: High-dose interleukin-2 can be effective in selected metastatic renal cell cancer patients pre-treated with VEGF-targeted agents, reveals research presented today at the ESMO Symposium on Immuno-Oncology in Geneva, Switzerland.... Click here for more information. Lugano/Geneva, Switzerland, 24 November 2014 - High-dose interleukin-2 can be effective in selected metastatic renal cell cancer patients pre-treated with VEGF-targeted agents, reveals research presented ...

Discovery by NUS researchers contributes towards future treatment of multiple sclerosis

Discovery by NUS researchers contributes towards future treatment of multiple sclerosis
2014-11-24
A multi-disciplinary research team from the National University of Singapore (NUS) has made a breakthrough discovery of a new type of immune cells that may help in the development of a future treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS). Led by Professor Xin-Yuan Fu, Senior Principal Investigator from CSI Singapore and Professor at the Department of Biochemistry at the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, and Dr Wanqiang Sheng, post-doctoral fellow at CSI Singapore, the team found that a new type of immune T helper cells named TH-GM cells play a crucial role in the immune system ...

Survivors of childhood eye cancer experience normal cognitive functioning as adults

2014-11-24
(MEMPHIS, Tenn. - November 24, 2014) Most long-term survivors of retinoblastoma, particularly those who had been diagnosed with tumors by their first birthdays, have normal cognitive function as adults, according to a St. Jude Children's Research Hospital study. The research, which appears in the current issue of the journal Cancer, found that the vast majority of survivors work full time, live independently and fulfill other milestones of adult life. The study is the first to examine how adult survivors of retinoblastoma fare cognitively and socially decades after their ...

Important element in the fight against sleeping sickness found

Important element in the fight against sleeping sickness found
2014-11-24
Researchers from Aarhus University have taken an important step in the fight against sleeping sickness, a disease that is a major problem in parts of Africa. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the disease threatens approximately 60 million people and the treatment options are poor. The deadly disease is caused by a parasite that is transferred to people via the bite of the African tsetse fly. The parasite lives in the bloodstream where it absorbs haemoglobin from human red blood cells. However, if left untreated it can infect the central nervous system ...

Study finds provider-focused intervention improves HPV vaccination rates

2014-11-24
(Boston)--Changing the way doctors practice medicine is difficult, however a new study has shown that combining traditional education with quality improvement and incentives improves Human Papilloma virus (HPV) vaccination rates in boys and girls. The study, which appears on-line in the journal Vaccine, has the potential to produce sustained improvements in these vaccination rates. Every year, approximately three million Americans seek treatment for HPV related diseases. Twenty-seven thousand Americans develop HPV-related cancer while more than 5,000 people die from this ...

'Good fat' could help manage type 2 diabetes

2014-11-24
A special type of fat found in some people could be used to manage type 2 diabetes. Scientists from Monash University and Stockholm University have discovered that brown fat, nicknamed the 'good fat' because it warms up the body in cold temperatures, burning up calories in the process, also 'hoovers up' excess sugar. The findings, published in The Journal of Cell Biology, are significant for people with type 2 diabetes, whose bodies are unable to respond to insulin properly, resulting in elevated blood glucose levels. Researchers believe that if brown fat cells can ...

Football players found to have brain damage from mild 'unreported' concussions

Football players found to have brain damage from mild unreported concussions
2014-11-24
Beer-Sheva, Israel, Nov. 24, 2014 - A new, enhanced MRI diagnostic approach was, for the first time, able to identify significant damage to the blood-brain barrier (BBB) of professional football players following "unreported" trauma or mild concussions. Published in the current issue of JAMA Neurology, this study could improve decision making on when an athlete should "return to play." According to Dr. Alon Friedman, from the Ben-Gurion University Brain Imaging Research Center and discoverer of the new diagnostic, "until now, there wasn't a diagnostic capability to identify ...

Breaking with tradition: The 'personal touch' is key to cultural preservation

2014-11-24
"Memetics," or the study of memes, is a very popular discipline among cultural researchers now, particularly as it concerns new media like viral videos. But no one seems to know what a meme really is. Originally coined by evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins, the "meme" transfers cultural information much the way that genes inherit biological properties. Pharrell Williams' feel-good hit "Happy" (2013), one of the top-selling singles of all time, is a recent example of a wildly popular meme. Originally tucked away in the soundtrack of the film Despicable Me 2, the song ...

Teens prescribed anti-anxiety or sleep medications more likely to abuse those drugs illegally

2014-11-24
WASHINGTON - Teens prescribed anti-anxiety or sleep medications may be up to 12 times more likely to abuse those drugs illegally than teens who have never received a prescription, often by obtaining additional pills from friends or family members, according to new research published by the American Psychological Association. Based on surveys of more than 2,700 high school and middle school students from the Detroit area, almost 9 percent had been prescribed a potentially addictive benzodiazepine anti-anxiety medication (e.g., Xanax, Valium or Klonopin) or sleep medication ...

Sorting through recycling bins to learn about alcohol use

2014-11-24
COLUMBUS, Ohio - When researchers wanted to verify alcohol-use survey results at a senior housing center, they came up with a novel way to measure residents' drinking: Count the empty bottles in recycling bins. Scientists compared the recycling bin results with two residential surveys gauging drinking habits of people living in a San Diego complex for low-income, older adults. "We were able to check how much the residents said they were drinking with the empty beer, wine and liquor containers they were actually putting in the recycling bins," said John Clapp, co-author ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Public data reveal extent of air quality impacts during 2025 Los Angeles wildfires

Towards better earthquake risk assessment with machine learning

Reducing the global burden of liver cancer: Recommendations from The Lancet commission

Researchers succeed in building a low temperature hydrogen fuel cell, thanks to a scandium superhighway

New UC Irvine survey reveals shifting work landscape

Quantum ‘Starry Night’: Physicists capture elusive instability and exotic vortices

Excessive ultraprocessed foods (UPFs) and poor nutrition tied to poor health

'One child called the robot "my little brother"': Can assistance tech become part of the family?

Small but mighty: A biomimetic idea takes flight

New hydrogel-based treatment accelerates infected wound healing and balances skin microbiota

New bioactive dressing promises faster diabetic wound healing

Japan launches fully domestically produced quantum computer

Home is where the airfields are: What happens when hawks are moved from Los Angeles airports

Study: Sylvester researchers uncover molecular drivers of cellular differentiation

Withdrawal of kidney treatment significantly benefits patients and NHS

Illinois Tech hosts EV Readiness Community Awards, showcasing nation-leading energy innovation

Rice bioscientist wins NSF CAREER Award to investigate bacterial toxins, expand inclusion in STEM

Study links exercise with decreased mortality and cardiovascular events in people recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes but no previous cardiovascular disease

Genetic testing reduces risks from chemotherapy for gastrointestinal cancer patients

UVic research predicts worldwide glacier erosion

A new boost for CryoZoo, Barcelona’s animal cell biobank

Asthma drug Zileuton blocks food allergy reactions in mice

Molecules in the spotlight: Snapshots reveal the eternal dance of particles

What drives anaphylactic response in food allergies

A thoughtful approach to governing emerging quantum technologies

What makes the teeth of chitons iron hard?

New antibody targeting approach, tested in mice, improves distribution and safety of Alzheimer’s immunotherapies

UC Irvine scientist takes a lesson from ultrahard, wear-resistant mollusk teeth

ICFO researchers overcome long-standing bottleneck in single photon detection with twisted 2D materials

New scaffold technology helps combat traumatic brain injury by restoring copper balance

[Press-News.org] Has a possible new lead been found in the fight against neurodegenerative diseases?