Regulating Ion Channels in Alzheimer's

Researchers studying the causes of Alzheimer's disease have found that misfolded amyloid proteins in brain cell membranes form ion channels that pass electric current, disrupting normal brain cell activity. They suggest that drugs designed to regulate these channels might be effective in controlling Alzheimer's and similar diseases.

Investigators at the University of California, Santa Barbara (USA) used atomic force microscopy, circular dichroism, gel electrophoresis, and electrophysiologic recordings to study the three-dimensional structure of misfolded amyloid proteins. They reported in the July 14, 2005, online edition of the Proceedings of the [U.S.] National Academy of Sciences that the fibrous amyloid plaques were too massive to cause brain cell damage. Instead, they found that the folded shape of the plaques allowed the formation of ion channels. These channels permit the flow of electric current that disrupts normal brain cell activity.

"These ion channels could serve as a model system for designing preventive and therapeutic drugs,” said senior author Dr. Ratnesh Lal, a neurosciences research scientist at the University of California, Santa Barbara. "You do not need large aggregates of these amyloid proteins, the plaque, to have this disruption. Rather, small aggregates, when in contact with membrane, form ion channels and allow passage of ion current. By controlling activity and designing specific drugs to regulate these channels, we might be able to prevent and/or treat various diseases related to the amyloids.”



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