Major Discovery in Alzheimer’s Disease Research
A groundbreaking joint research effort involving professors from KAIST and the Korea Basic Science Institute (KBSI) has led to the discovery of intracellular proteins that play a key role in the toxicity of factors that contribute to Alzheimer’s disease.
The team, which includes KAIST Professor Lim Mi-hee, Baek Moo-hyun from the Department of Chemistry, Han Jin-joo, Professor of the Graduate School of Medical Sciences, and Dr. Lee Young-ho of the KBSI Department of Bio Convergence Research, made the significant finding. This discovery sheds new light on the understanding and potential treatment of this devastating disease.
Implications for Alzheimer’s Disease
This discovery is especially crucial as it opens up the possibility of using intracellular proteins as biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease and potential targets for drug development.
Moreover, the study revealed that the C-terminal amyloid precursor truncation, which was previously thought to have unknown causes in promoting neuronal death associated with Alzheimer’s disease, plays a significant role in promoting amyloid-beta aggregation and acts as a toxicity accelerator.
Global Recognition
The research, which has been published in the prestigious international academic journal ‘Advanced Science’ with an impact factor of 15.1, has attracted global attention for its implications in Alzheimer’s disease research. Dr. Namjoo Nam of the KAIST Department of Chemistry served as the first author for this groundbreaking study.
Professor Mihee Lim of KAIST expressed the significance of the research results, stating that they provide valuable insights into the in vivo promoters of amyloid-beta aggregation and toxicity in Alzheimer’s disease and offer potential biomarkers and treatment targets.
The study was made possible with the support of the Basic Research Project of the Korea National Research Institute, KBSI, the National Research Council for Science and Technology (NST), IBS, and KAIST.
▲ A joint research team of professors including KAIST and the Korea Basic Science Institute (KBSI) discovered intracellular proteins that promote the toxicity of factors that cause Alzheimer’s disease. From left, KAIST Professor Lim Mi-hee and Baek Moo-hyun from the Department of Chemistry, Han Jin-joo, Professor of the Graduate School of Medical Sciences, and Dr. Lee Young-ho of the Korea Basic Science Institute (KBSI ) Department of Bio Convergence Research. ⓒ KAIST
KAIST announced on the 20th that it has discovered an intracellular protein that promotes the toxicity of factors that cause Alzheimer’s disease.
This research was carried out in collaboration with the research team of Professor Lim Mi-hee from the Department of Chemistry KAIST, the research team of Professor Moo-hyun Baek from the Department of Chemistry KAIST, the research team of Doctor Young-ho Lee from the Department of Convergent Bio Research of the Korea Institute of Basic Science ( KBSI), and the research team of Professor Jin-joo Han from the Graduate School of Medical Sciences, and the research team of Professor Lee Da-yong from the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KIST) for rare and incurable diseases. It was conducted with participation of the research centre’s doctoral research team.
A characteristic pathological phenomenon that appears in the brains of Alzheimer’s disease patients is the accumulation of senile spots. The main component of these spots is amyloid-beta peptide, which binds to intracellular substances and causes cell damage.
Professor Lim Mi-hee’s research team discovered that the ‘C-terminal amyloid precursor truncating protein’, which is overexpressed in Alzheimer’s disease and causes neuronal death of unknown causes, binds to amyloid-beta complexes and metal-amyloid-beta to promote aggregation and act as a toxicity accelerator the world’s first research proving this was published.
▲ C-terminal truncation of amyloid precursor (APP-C31) has been shown to affect the function of Alzheimer’s pathological factors. ⓒ KAIST
The research results suggest that the C-terminal amyloid precursor truncation itself or the complex bound to amyloid-beta could serve as a new biomarker for Alzheimer’s disease. It also suggests that they may be targets for new drug development.
This study confirmed that Dr. Namjoo Nam of the KAIST Department of Chemistry, a member of Professor Lim’s research team, participated as the first author, the role of C-terminal truncation of amyloid precursor in promoting amyloid-beta aggregation within cells through intracellular protein microinjection technology.
Moreover, it was confirmed that the phenomenon of amyloid-beta-related cell death, neuronal damage, and inflammatory response in neuronal cells and rodent brains is further increased by the C-terminal truncation of the amyloid precursor, attracting worldwide attention .
The research was conducted with the support of the Basic Research Project of the Korea National Research Institute, KBSI, the National Research Council for Science and Technology (NST), IBS, and KAIST. The results were published in ‘Advanced Science, Impact factor: 15.1’, a prestigious international academic journal.
Professor Mihee Lim of KAIST said, “The research results are significant in discovering previously unknown in vivo promoters of amyloid-beta aggregation and toxicity in Alzheimer’s disease,” adding, “The research results suggest biomarkers and targets a new treatment.”
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