Abnormal gene copy seen in tauopathy fruit fly models – ScienceDaily

. Scientists at UT Health San Antonio have revealed that this copy-and-paste genetic activity is significantly increased in tauopathy fruit fly models – neurodegenerative diseases that include Alzheimer's disease.

The researchers also found that lamivudine, an antiretroviral drug approved for HIV and hepatitis B, decreased copy and reduced neuronal cell death in the brain of fruit flies.

This research, published in Nature Neuroscience suggests a potential new way to treat memory-stealing disease that affects 5.7 million Americans with a diagnosis of Alzheimer's and Alzheimer's. the millions of others who take care of it.

The researchers come from the Sam & Ann Barshop I nstitute for Longevity & Aging Studies, the Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer and Neurodegenerative Diseases, and the Department of Cellular Systems & Anatomy at UT Health San Antonio.

The team identified the activation of "transposable elements" as a key factor in neuronal death. tauopathies. These disorders are marked by deposits of tau protein in the brain. There are more than 20 tauopathies, including Alzheimer's disease.

Lamivudine has limited the expression of genes that make up DNA retrotransposons, which are the gene elements that clone and insert copies into a new place, says Bess Frost, Ph.D. Professor of Cellular Systems and Anatomy and member of the Barshop and Biggs Institutes at UT Health San Antonio.

"We know that these genes are copying at higher levels in the tauopathy fly model," said Dr. Frost. "And we know that we can prevent that from happening by giving them this medicine."

It is thought that copy-and-paste activity is an effect that follows the accumulation of tau deposit. In the end, the neurons die.

"Toxic tau may be present, but if this drug is administered and that it blocks the activity of the transposable element, just decrease the amount of brain cells that die in the model. ", said Dr. Frost

Researchers will investigate whether the drug could have the same effect in a human tauopathy." We wanted to know if the activity of the transposable element was relevant for a tauopathy. human, so we badyzed the data obtained from a public-private program called Accelerating Medicines Partnership, "said Dr. Frost 19659003] The transposable elements were found to be expressed at higher levels in the data drawn from human samples of Alzheimer's disease and another tauopathy, progressive supranuclear palsy.This gene expression is the first step before the activity of copy can happen and will be studied further, said Dr. Frost.

The team believes that fruit fly and human results are relevant not only to Alzheimer's disease but also to all. tauopathies, as well.

Normal fruit flies live about 70 days. The tauopathy model lasts about 30 to 40 days, and the researchers observe the death of brain cells at about 10 days, said Dr. Frost

. Frost is supported by a grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and by funding from the William & Ella Owens Medical Research Foundation of San Antonio .