Versatile Proteins could be New Target for Alzheimer’s Drugs

A class of proteins that controls visual system development in the young brain also appears to affect vulnerability to Alzheimer’s disease in the ageing brain. The proteins, which are found in humans and mice, join a limited roster of molecules that scientists are studying in hopes of finding an effective drug to slow the disease process.

“People are just beginning to look at what these proteins do in the brain. Although more research is needed, these proteins may be a brand new target for Alzheimer’s drugs,” said Carla Shatz, PhD, the study’s lead investigator. Dr Shatz is a professor of biology and neurobiology at Stanford University in California, and the director of Stanford's interdisciplinary biosciences program, BioX.

She and her colleagues report that LilrB2 (pronounced “leer-bee-2”) in humans and PirB (“peer-bee”) in mice can physically partner with beta-amyloid, a protein fragment that accumulates in the brain during Alzheimer’s disease. This in turn triggers a harmful chain reaction in brain cells. In a mouse model of Alzheimer’s, depleting PirB in the brain prevented the chain reaction and reduced memory loss.

The research was funded in part by the National Eye Institute, the National Institute on Aging (NIA), and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), all part of the National Institutes of Health. It is reported in the 20 September issue of Science.

“These findings provide valuable insight into Alzheimer’s, a complex disorder involving the abnormal build-up of proteins, inflammation and a host of other cellular changes,” said Neil Buckholtz, PhD, director of the neuroscience division at NIA. “Our understanding of the various proteins involved, and how these proteins interact with each other, may one day result in effective interventions that delay, treat or even prevent this dreaded disease.”