Scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have identified changes in gene activity and associated biochemical disorders in Alzheimer’s disease, including the disruption of proteins responsible for DNA stability. The results were published in the journal Cell.
Biologists used more than two million cells from 427 brain samples taken from patients who were either healthy or had lifelong Alzheimer’s disease. Scientists evaluated gene activity in 54 brain cell types from these samples and identified the cellular functions most affected in Alzheimer’s patients. They identified complex interactions between various genes and proteins that could become targets of dementia drugs.
The most notable include defects in the expression of genes involved in the function of mitochondria (the powerhouses of cells), nerve signal transduction, and protein complexes necessary to maintain the structural integrity of DNA. Scientists also found that people without cognitive impairment had more specialized inhibitory neurons in the prefrontal cortex.
The results could form the basis of new treatments for Alzheimer’s disease.
Previous scientists I learnedBlocking a molecule could make older people’s bones stronger than younger people’s.
Source: Gazeta
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