Scientists have discovered a new protein associated with frontotemporal dementia. The research was published in the journal Nature.
Many neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, are associated with aggregation (sticking together) of amyloid proteins. However, in approximately 10% of cases of frontotemporal dementia, where the volume of the frontal and temporal areas of the brain is reduced, amyloid deposition does not occur. Frontotemporal dementia typically begins at a younger age than Alzheimer’s disease and is often diagnosed in people between the ages of 45 and 65.
In a new study, researchers used atomic-resolution cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) to examine the brain tissue of four people with this type of frontotemporal dementia. Scientists have long believed that clumps of the FUS protein form in this type of dementia. But they found filamentous clusters of the TAF15 protein in all samples.
Additionally, in two patients with not only dementia but also motor neuron disease, scientists found TAF15 aggregates in brain regions associated with the disease. This may mean that the protein is associated with the development of both conditions.
“Now that we have identified the key protein and its structure, we can begin to use it to diagnose and treat this type of frontotemporal dementia, similar to strategies already being developed to target beta-amyloid and tau protein aggregates that characterize Alzheimer’s disease,” the scientists explained.
Information about the structure of the TAF15 protein will also allow scientists to develop simpler and cheaper tools than cryo-EM. Using tissues from hundreds of patients, they will help determine how widely this protein clusters.
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