Synthetic miniprion a breakthrough in Alzheimer's disease research
Scientists in the US have created a synthetic fragment of the tau protein that behaves like a prion and can mimic the processes that occur in the brain of people with Alzheimer's disease. This miniature version will enable more precise study of protein misfolding. This is a step towards more effective treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.
A team of scientists from Northwestern University in Illinois and the University of California at Santa Barbara have created the first synthetic miniprion – a fragment of the tau protein that can mimic the way proteins become deformed in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's.
- We created a mini version that is easier to control but performs all the same functions as the full-length version, explains physical chemist Songi Han.
Tau proteins are not classic prions, but they can act very similarly – they can “infect” other molecules, causing them to fold incorrectly and form fibrils called fibrils. These changes are considered to be one of the key factors in the development of Alzheimer’s disease and other tauopathies. Unfortunately, the mechanism of their action is still not fully understood.
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Until now, scientists had to use postmortem samples of tau protein from patients' brains, which was difficult and limited research. Now, thanks to the synthetic model, they can speed up testing and analyze the disease process under controlled conditions. The miniprion not only "infects" other proteins, but also mimics the behavior of tau protein with a mutation associated with neurodegeneration.
Interestingly, the researchers noticed that the mutation of the protein affects the structure of water molecules around it.
"A mutation in a peptide can lead to a more structured arrangement of water molecules around the mutation site. This structured water affects the way the peptide interacts with other molecules, binding them together," Han says.
Although it is still not known whether tau strands are the main cause of Alzheimer's, the synthetic miniprion gives researchers new hope. The ability to create and modify these proteins in the laboratory will allow for a better understanding of how the disease develops, and perhaps find effective ways to stop it. The results of the study were published in the prestigious journal " PNAS".
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