The known enzyme is regulate inflammation It has now been found to also act as a master switch for neurodegenerative genes throughout the body, with far-reaching effects. alzheimer’s disease illness and brain aging.

Researchers at the University of New Mexico and the University of Tennessee conducted a series of experiments on human tissue cultures to measure the effectiveness of knocking out cells. An enzyme called otulin.

When OTULIN activity was blocked in cells, researchers found that levels of the protein were closely associated with Alzheimer’s disease. called tau The amount has been reduced. When the gene that produces OTULIN was completely removed, tau disappeared and was no longer produced at all.

Furthermore, this tau removal did not seem to affect neuronal health.

Related: Switching off one key protein appears to reverse aging in mouse brains

They compared neurons obtained from donors with Alzheimer’s disease to neurons grown from Alzheimer’s disease patients. stem cells Taken from healthy donors, both OTULIN and tau were shown to be abundant in disease-affected neurons.

“Pathological tau is a key player in both brain aging and neurodegenerative diseases.” say Karthikeyan Thangavero, a molecular geneticist at the University of New Mexico;

“Targeting OTULINs in neurons to stop tau synthesis can restore a healthy brain and prevent brain aging.”

The idea of ​​destroying or removing OTULIN as a treatment to slow brain aging is not viable, at least for the time being. Enzymes and tau both play important roles in the functioning of our bodies.

As the researchers point out, any kind of OTULIN restriction must be carefully managed to avoid damaging other locations.

“We discovered the function of OTULIN in nerve cells.” say Thangavelou. “We don’t know how OTULINs function in other types of cells in the brain.”

That said, these are interesting and rather surprising findings that could prove very useful in future research. One of the best chances to treat Alzheimer’s disease is Removes harmful protein build-up It comes with it. Now you have a new route that allows you to do it.

The team went further RNA sequencing To examine the broader effects of OTULIN removal. Not only did tau production stop, but the activity of dozens of other genes was also affected.

The researchers found that these genes are primarily associated with inflammation, suggesting that OTULINs may play an important role in neuronal stress and brain wear and tear when the brain is not functioning properly.

Again, this all needs to be tested in animal and human models, but scientists may now aim at other goals when developing treatments for Alzheimer’s and other related diseases. Furthermore, researchers are not only interested in enzymes. with great care.

We know that one of OTULIN’s jobs is regulatory support. waste removal When cells are cleared of excess protein tangles and clumps, such as tau, and they malfunction, problems begin to mount.

“This is a great opportunity to develop many projects for further research to reverse brain aging and maintain a healthy brain.” say Thangavelou.

This study genomic psychiatry.