Researchers at the Department of Genetics and Biotechnology, St. Petersburg State University, first discovered a functional amyloid in a healthy brain.
It is believed that the formation of amyloids – a special form of fibrillar proteins – leads to Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Huntington’s diseases. It turned out that in healthy neurons, the FRX1 protein works in amyloid form – it controls memory and emotions. The results of a study that makes us take a fresh look at the functional role of amyloids in the brain and at the strategy for creating drugs for neurodegenerative diseases are published in the journal Scientific reports.
Scientists from St. Petersburg State University, together with colleagues from the St. Petersburg branch of the N. I. Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, using experiments on laboratory rats showed that FRX1 protein functions in the amyloid form in the brain of healthy and young animals. From literature data it is known that this protein controls long-term memory and emotions: mice that have the FRX1 encoding gene “turned off” quickly remember even complex labyrinths, and those animals that have too much of this protein, on the contrary, do not become depressed even after severe stress. In addition, in humans, “breakdowns” in the gene encoding FRX1 are associated with autism and schizophrenia.
“It used to be known that in the healthy brain in the amyloid form some protein hormones can only be stored. They are deposited in secretory granules in the pituitary gland, but when it comes time to work, the secretory granules burst and the proteins are already functioning in a normal, monomeric form, ”said Alexei Galkin, professor of the Department of Genetics and Doctor of Biology. “We showed for the first time that protein can function exactly in the brain in the amyloid form, both in the form of oligomers and in the form of insoluble aggregates.” In addition, it turned out that the amyloid form of FRX1 can bind RNA molecules and protect them from degradation. “
The studies were carried out using the equipment of the Science Park of St. Petersburg State University – the resource centers “Khromas” and “Development of molecular and cellular technologies”. The scientists discovered the amyloid form of the FXR1 protein by the proteomic screening method for amyloids, which the research team developed back in 2016. Amyloids in general play an important role in the life of many organisms: for example, one of these proteins is found in human pigment cells and affects how the tan is applied to the skin. However, today the interest of scientists in amyloids is associated primarily with the need to find a cure for neurodegenerative diseases in which these proteins play a key role.
“Our findings clearly indicate that creating a universal medicine that will destroy all amyloids in the brain is completely futile,” said Alexey Galkin. “It turns out that we need to specifically seek treatment for each specific pathology.”
Material provided by the press service of St. Petersburg State University
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