Alzheimer’s disease is complex and its causes are still mysterious. It may be linked to the balance between protective and toxic RNA fragments in the brain. This is what a new study shows Northwest Medicine. Because the disease affects millions of people worldwide, this discovery opens up a new avenue of research and potential treatment strategies.
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Alzheimer’s disease is caused by significant loss of neurons. However, the mechanisms leading to the death of these cells are poorly understood. A recent study published in Nature communication Reveals what role RNA interference may play in triggering Alzheimer’s disease.
RNA fragments
All genetic information is contained in the DNA molecule located in the nucleus of every cell. To turn this genetic information into protein, the DNA must be transcribed into long coding RNA. These are then translated into proteins by cellular machinery. RNA is essential for the proper functioning of our body.
There are also many short RNAs. They do not code for proteins but perform other important functions in the cell. Some of them have the role of inhibiting long coding RNA through A process known as RNA interference. This prevents translation of long RNAs into proteins.
In this study, the authors discovered short segments of toxic RNA, which contribute to the destruction of neurons. through DNA damage in the Alzheimer’s brain. Harmful short RNAs are normally inhibited by protective short RNAs. The authors found a decrease in protective RNA segments with age, which may promote the development of the disease. In addition, studies have shown that older people with abnormal memory (for example, individuals over 80 years of age with memory equivalent to that of a 20- to 30-year-old) present higher amounts of these RNA segments in their brains.
The relationship between RNA activities and Alzheimer’s disease has never been so clearly established before.
Implications for care
In almost all neurodegenerative diseases, affected individuals live without symptoms for decades before the disease slowly begins to manifest. These results provide a better understanding of why and open new avenues of research for the management of neurodegeneration in general.
Currently available treatments cannot cure the disease. Increasing (or at least maintaining) the amount of protective short RNA in the brain represents a new method for limiting Alzheimer’s disease symptoms. We have molecules capable of doing this, but they must first be tested in cellular and animal models.
