Scientists have reported on a new regulator of brain aging

Scientists from the University of New Mexico's Center for Medical Sciences have identified the enzyme OTULIN, which may play a key role in brain aging and the development of neurodegenerative diseases. The results of the study indicate that this immunoregulatory enzyme directly affects the formation of tau protein, one of the main markers of Alzheimer's disease. This was reported on January 18 in the journal Science Daily.

Experiments have shown that turning off OTULIN completely stopped tau synthesis and led to the disappearance of the already accumulated protein in neurons. At the same time, the brain cells remained viable and showed no signs of stress or damage, which casts doubt on previous ideas about the critical role of tau for the survival of neurons.

The study was conducted on two types of human cells: neurons obtained from a patient with a late sporadic form of Alzheimer's disease, and a standard line of neuroblastoma cells widely used in neuroscience. To suppress the activity of OTULIN, scientists used both the genetic shutdown of the corresponding gene and a specially developed small molecule.

According to Kartikiyan Tangafelu, a senior researcher at the Laboratory of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology at the University of New Mexico, pathological tau is a central element of both age-related brain aging and neurodegenerative diseases. He noted that blocking tau synthesis by acting on OTULIN could potentially restore a healthy brain state and slow down age-related changes.

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Initially, OTULIN was studied as a regulator of inflammation and autophagy, the process of cellular disposal of damaged proteins. However, in the course of their work, scientists discovered its unexpected role in controlling tau protein production. Additional analyses have shown that OTULIN suppression affects the expression of dozens of genes, primarily associated with inflammatory pathways and RNA metabolism.

The authors of the study suggest that OTULIN may act as a kind of "master regulator" of brain aging, combining inflammation, impaired protein metabolism and age-related neurodegeneration in one mechanism. However, the scientists emphasize that the functions of OTULIN in other types of brain cells — including microglia and astrocytes — are still poorly understood and require additional verification.

The South China Morning Post (SCMP) newspaper reported on the identification of a possible early marker of Alzheimer's disease by scientists from Singapore. According to their data, blockage of brain channels can indicate dementia. The head of the work, director of the Singapore Dementia Research Center, Associate Professor Nagendran Kandia, clarified that the causes of the "clogging" of the glymphatic system are not fully clear, the process may be influenced by age, sleep disorders, cardiovascular diseases, obesity and chronic inflammation.

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