2023-09-04 10:36:24
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[사진=게티이미지뱅크]A research team in Korea has identified for the first time the mechanism by which tau protein, known as the cause of dementia, becomes fibrotic in the brain, suggesting the possibility of developing a new concept of treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. Tau protein is a typical Alzheimer’s pathogenesis protein, and is abnormally accumulated in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients through aggregation and fibrosis.
The Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI) announced on the 4th that the team led by Professor Lee Min-jae of Seoul National University College of Medicine and Professor Joon-gon Kim of Korea University demonstrated for the first time the fibrosis process of tau protein, which has been identified as the cause of Alzheimer’s disease, and the principle of formation of neurotoxic substances.
Through this study, we specifically identified the fibrosis phenomenon of tau protein, which has not been identified so far, such as the process by which fragments of tau protein, the cause of Alzheimer’s disease, penetrate into brain neurons, the mechanism of inhibiting synaptic function, and the effect on memory loss and brain tissue death in animals. did. In the case of Alzheimer’s disease, which is a representative type of dementia, it is known that the cause through previous studies is that amyloid beta and tau protein accumulate in the brain and form toxic substances that kill nerve cells, but the more fundamental onset mechanism has not yet been identified. It is acting as an obstacle to drug development.
To understand how the tau protein is fibrotic at the molecular level, the joint research team focused on the key region (aggregation core) that promotes the formation of neurotoxic substances. As a result of the study, it was confirmed that a part of the internally cleaved tau protein can spontaneously form neurotoxic substances under physiological environmental conditions without separate treatment and has the ability to convert even normal tau protein into neurotoxic substances. This was because specific sites (aggregation cores) were exposed by protein cleavage.
In addition, it is possible to establish the pathology-inducing mechanism at the cellular level by identifying the path through which neurotoxic substances produced by cleavage of tau penetrate into neurons, the process of inducing additional aggregation, and the phenomenon of degrading synaptic plasticity of neurons. there was.
Professor Lee Min-jae, who led the research, said, “This study uncovered the principles of fibrosis and neurotoxicity of the new tau protein at the molecular, cellular, and animal model levels. ”he said. This study was carried out with support from the Dementia Overcoming R&D Project and was published online on August 18, 2023 in the international journal Advanced Science.
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