Commin Biol: a special protein in the brain that may help prevent Alzheimer's disease

December 7, 2019 / BIOON / -- recently, a report was published in the international journal communications biology In the previous report, scientists from institutions such as the University of Alberta found that the most common version of a protein called CD33 may play a key role in regulating human brain leukocytes, and relevant research is expected to help develop new therapies against Alzheimer's disease Photo source: cc0 public domain this study is based on the results of previous studies Previously, researchers found that CD33 protein may be a key factor to reduce the possibility of Alzheimer's disease in individuals However, compared with the more common CD33, less than 10% of the population carries this version of CD33 According to researcher Matthew Macauley, microglia in the brain play a key role in the development of Alzheimer's disease, which has two sides (harmful or protective) The presence of CD33 on microglia shows that, under appropriate circumstances, immune cells can protect the brain from Alzheimer's disease; if scientists can target this more common version of CD33 to influence microglia to be more like those carrying rare versions of CD33, it is expected to help to create protective microglia Small glial cells, and then the treatment of Alzheimer's disease The researchers pointed out that the results of this study laid a foundation for clarifying the causal relationship between CD33 and Alzheimer's disease in the later stage, and it is also expected to help develop new therapeutic strategies to change the harmful effects of harmful microglia on the body by targeting CD33 Microglia can clear the neurodegenerative plaque through a process called phagocytosis, so this strategy can effectively slow down or reverse the occurrence of Alzheimer's disease According to the Alzheimer's Association, 747000 Canadians currently suffer from Alzheimer's disease or other forms of dementia, which affects the health of more than 44 million people worldwide Later researchers will also develop new therapies to effectively resist Alzheimer's disease through more in-depth research Original source: bhattacherjee, A., Rodrigues, e., Jung, J et al Expression of phagocytosis by human CD33 is not observed with mouse CD33 Commun Biol 2, 450 (2019) doi: 10.1038/s42003-019-0698-6