Adapted from the University of California, Los Angeles
For some time, scientists have blamed Alzheimer's disease on a small molecule called amyloid beta protein (A beta) that leaves large gummy deposits in the brain. Recent studies suggest that these A beta proteins stick together to form floating toxic clumps that kill brain cells. Now, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) scientists have identified a tiny loop in A beta as the likely culprit behind the adhesion process.
The UCLA team discovered that gene mutations in A beta increase the loop's flexibility, enabling it to join easily with loops from other A beta proteins and form clumps. The loop also appears in the region of the protein that regulates how—and how much—A beta is made.
Current drugs treat the symptoms of Alzheimer's but not the disease's underlying cause. By shedding light on how toxic A beta formations arise in the brain, the UCLA discovery could aid the design of new drugs that both block the production of A beta and prevent it from clumping.