Cell-Specific Enhancer Atlas Centers AD Risk in Microglia. Again.
Cataloguing enhancer-promoter interactions in the four major cell types of the brain, researchers found that Alzheimer’s risk variants predominantly appeared in microglial enhancers.
NEWS
Scientists Discover a Common Distress Signal in the Blood-Brain Barrier
The same endothelial cell response is found in various models of brain disease.
Dipeptide Repeat Proteins Don’t Directly Block Nuclear Transport
New data suggest that while peptides translated from an expansion in the C9ORF72 gene are toxic, they don’t directly interfere with nucleocytoplasmic transport.
Already in Mid-30s, Poor Vascular Health Means Small Brain at 70
No link found with amyloid deposition.
Acetaminophen Derivative Tempers Microglia, Spurs Plaque Clearance
DAPPD suppressed neuroinflammation and preserved cognition in mouse models of amyloidosis, suggesting potential for treating Alzheimer’s disease.
Older Retired Soccer Players Prone to Neurodegeneration
While former professional soccer players have less risk for heart disease and cancer than the general population, they are five times more likely to die with a neurodegenerative disease in old age.
China Approves Seaweed Sugar as First New Alzheimer’s Drug in 17 Years
GV-971, an oligosaccharide derived from marine kelp, was approved to treat AD in China. Preclinical studies suggest the drug soothes neuroinflammation by balancing the gut microbiome.
Can an ApoE Mutation Halt Alzheimer’s Disease?
The rare ApoE3 Christchurch variant prevented tau tangles, neurodegeneration, and cognitive decline in a woman’s brain for decades, despite massive amyloid buildup from a familial presenilin AD mutation.
Virtual Exhibit Hall
Alzforum encourages users to visit the Virtual Exhibit Hall, where companies showcase their newest initiatives, products, and services. We welcome F. Hoffmann-La Roche, joining our other exhibitors — Biogen, BioLegend, Dash Genomics, Inc., Abcam, BrainXell, and the Jackson Laboratory.
SPOTLIGHT
Cell-Specific Enhancer Atlas Centers AD Risk in Microglia. Again.
Researchers have created the first catalog of epigenetic interactions specific to the four major cell types of the human brain. This allowed them to examine how disease-associated genetic variants affect gene expression. Psychiatric disease variants tend to cluster in regulatory regions active in neurons, while AD risk variants lie predominantly in microglial enhancer elements. The findings reinforce the idea that microglia drive Alzheimer’s pathogenesis.
Common BBB Distress Signal Detected
Whether triggered by stroke, seizures, sudden neuroinflammation, or a bump to the head, the endothelial cells that line the blood-brain barrier (BBB) assume a strikingly similar response, according to a new study. In all these acute injuries, the cells adopted a gene-expression signature similar to that of endothelial cells in peripheral organs, which have no blood-barrier. Whether this lapse in BBB specialization occurs in chronic conditions, such as Alzheimer’s disease, remains to be seen.
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