Most of the neurodegenerative diseases result due to misfolded protein aggregates that interfere with cell functioning and lead to disorders. The team thereby explored the pathology of protein aggregation via the digestive tract of a tiny, translucent worm called Caenorhabditis elegans by introducing certain bacteria into the worms.
‘New evidence links specific gut bacteria to neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and ALS.
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As the toxic aggregates are capable of glowing under the microscope, colonization of certain bacteria species but not control bacteria, lit up not only the intestinal tissues, where the bacteria are, but all over the worms’ bodies – in their muscles, nerves and even reproductive organs.
It was also noted that the offspring of affected worms also showed increased protein aggregation, despite of the fact that these offspring never encountered the bacteria originally associated with the condition. This suggests that bacteria are capable of generating hereditary signals to offsrrings.
The worms colonized by the “bad” bacteria also lost mobility, a common symptom of neurodegenerative diseases.
“The worms are only one millimeter long, and they each have exactly 959 cells. But in many ways, they are a lot like us humans — they have intestines and muscles and nerves, but instead of being composed of billions of cells, each organ is just a handful of cells. They are like living test tubes. Their small size allows us to do experiments in a much more controlled way and answer important questions we can apply in future experiments with higher organisms and, eventually, people,” says Czyz.
The team is also exploring the possible connections between antibiotic-resistant bacteria and protein misfolding.
Source: Medindia
