About 6 million Americans currently have Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and that number is expected to reach 13.8 million by 2050. disease.
The latest findings, from an international team of Spanish researchers, revealed 238 genes involved in the regulation of AD through cellular studies of over 5,000 mutant yeast samples.
A study led by the Institute of Molecular Physiology, University of Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, implicated 238 genes associated with AD in mitochondrial activity, protein translation, and intracellular calcium regulation. However, it was one gene in the latter functional group that stood out.
known as Surf4the protein in the gene has been shown to regulate calcium entry into cells and increase the toxicity of amyloid beta protein, which is thought to be a hallmark of AD degeneration. It disrupted the ability of translocating calcium messaging and accelerated amyloid-beta toxicity.
It was one of 81 genes implicated in increased amyloid-beta toxicity, and the other 157 identified were protected from this cellular damage.
“Calcium is one of the most important messengers that carries information from the outside into the cell,” said Francisco J. Muñoz, research coordinator at UFP. “It is involved in almost every cell function. Surf4 Overexpression of the protein reduces calcium entry and terminates dependent cellular processes, rendering neurons unable to function and highly susceptible to amyloid toxicity. “
This is not the first time that calcium regulation has been thought to play a role in blocking neuronal pathways and has also been linked to cell death and neurodegeneration. Thanks to its role in transmission, it is essential for cell function, especially in neurons.
The team hopes that this genetic picture will open the door to much-needed new avenues of research.
This research International Journal of Molecular Science.
Source: Pompeu Fabra University Barcelona
