The Culprit in Alzheimer's Disease Identified

Results of a recent study may indicate that a protein superstructure called amyloid beta is what is responsible for the damage in the brain of a person with Alzheimer's disease.

Scientists doing research at the University of California have seen that amyloid beta stops an anti-oxidant protein in the brain.They have found a way to protect that protein, and maybe even others, from harmful effects of amyloid.

"Amyloid seems to cause damage to cells. We have reported in a very detailed way one potential interaction of how amyloid can cause disease, and we found a way to stop it," said Jerry YangJerry Yang.

The study of the reseachers focused on catalase-an enzyme that absorbs excess oxidants. Catalase normally helps to prevent the kind of damage seen in the brains of those with Alzheimer's disease. Work done before had found catalase proteins deposited within the amyloid plaques.

Lila Habib, the first author of the report, added amyloid to cultured neural cells and looked at its effects.

"We were able to determine that amyloid beta and this anti-oxidant enzyme, catalase, interact, and that this interaction harmed catalase so it wasn't able to perform its physiological function: to degrade hydrogen peroxide into oxygen and water," she said.

When Habib coated the amyloid with a small molecule designed to prevent its interaction with other proteins, she was able to restore the activity of catalase and return hydrogen peroxide to normal levels within the cells.

The coating Habib used to probe the interaction between amyloid and catalase. It is a candidate drug which is one of a class of molecules that Yang's lab has developed.

Yang said: "Not only are we learning more about the disease, but we are also developing a potential strategy for treatment that is currently testing the new approach in a mouse model of the disease."

The results would appear in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

reported by Susan Berg, author of

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