Researchers find that a genetic variation that protects against Alzheimer’s disease improves the functioning of immune cells.
- The importance of immune cells in the search for a treatment against Alzheimer’s is demonstrated
- A genetic variation of these cells allows them to destroy the beta-amyloid protein involved in the disease
Knowledge of Alzheimer’s disease is progressing. Today, no treatment can cure it, but scientists are looking for therapeutic avenues. The prospect of a therapy based on immune cells has already been studied previously, but Finnish researchers confirm its interest. They publish their findings in the journal Molecular Neurodegeneration.
A mutation that boosts immune cells
A previous study showed that the PLCG2-P522R genetic variation reduces the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, but its impact on immune cells has not been analyzed. The team used mice to conduct this new research. Using the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technique, the researchers implanted the PLCG2-P522R genetic variation in them. They found that it stimulates the activity of the enzyme PLCy2, improves cell viability, stimulates phagocytes and the immune response of peripheral macrophages.
The researchers also noticed that the genetic mutation makes microglial cells more efficient at destroying brain-damaging materials, such as the protein β-amyloid, which forms the plaques responsible for Alzheimer’s disease. For the scientific team, these results show the importance of immune cells in the search for a treatment against Alzheimer’s disease. “It is interesting to see how several genes associated with a risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease act on the functioning of microglial cells in the same way, completes one of the authors of the study Mari Takalo. This demonstrates that targeting these pathways and the cellular functions they regulate may hold significant therapeutic potential in the future.”
The need for early diagnosis
Alzheimer’s disease now affects 900,000 people in France, and 40 million of people in the world. This neurodegenerative disease causes disorders of memory, executive functions, language, vision and problems of orientation in time and space. When it is taken care of early enough, the daily life of sufferers can be improved, and medication can slow its progression.
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