Novel role of tau proteins in neurodegenerative diseases has been identified by a study at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, published in the journal Cell.
The study, using cutting-edge proteomics allowed the mapping of the “tau interactome” that helped them find how the mutant tau impacts the function of mitochondria in human neurons.
‘Study offers novel findings on how mutant tau proteins impact the function of mitochondria (the powerhouse of the cell) in human neurons, thereby playing a role in neurodegenerative diseases.
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Moreover, the study also finds a mechanism for how tau gets released from neurons and spreads throughout the brain, a pathological process that is strongly correlated with disease progression.
“Understanding the mechanisms of what is happening within cells during disease is key to discovering new ways to treat neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s, which is the most common tauopathy. We hope that other researchers take advantage of our ‘tau interactome’ which is a broad and unbiased survey of tau interacting proteins in the cell that could be contributing to disease.” “Showing a potential mechanism for how tau gets released can inform future studies into how we can prevent diseased tau from getting out of neurons and spreading throughout the brain,” says Buck Institute assistant professor Tara Tracy, PhD, lead author of the paper.
Source: Medindia
