A gene associated with a very high risk of Alzheimer’s disease causes immune cells in the brain to perpetuate inflammation in the nervous system. This leads to the buildup of toxic proteins in the brain, according to Gladstone Institute research published in the journal Cell Stem Cell.
Scientists injected mice with human brain cells that produce the APOE4 protein. This molecule significantly increases the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, but the exact mechanism is unknown.
Biologists then removed immune cells (microglia) from the animals’ brains. At the same time, the damage caused by the APOE4 protein was also significantly reduced. This meant that the interaction between APOE4 and microglia leads to Alzheimer’s disease.
In a healthy brain, immune cells called microglia are responsible for getting rid of waste and broken proteins. But in the presence of the APOE4 protein, the most important genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease, the same cells cause inflammation and the accumulation of misfolded proteins called beta-amyloid and tau.
Having the APOE4 variant may increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease by 12-fold. The new study could lay the foundation for a treatment to prevent dementia in people with APOE4.
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Source: Gazeta
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