: Study find that copper leads to protein aggregation, may cause Parkinsons disease #IndiaNEWS #Health Washington , July 9 (ANI): Copper exposure in the environment and the protein alpha-synuclein

Study find that copper leads to protein aggregation, may cause Parkinsons disease #IndiaNEWS #Health
Washington [US], July 9 (ANI): Copper exposure in the environment and the protein alpha-synuclein in the human brain could play an important role in the pathogenesis of Parkinsons disease. Researchers were able to show how the protein takes on an unusual shape when exposed to large amounts of copper ions. The findings could help develop new strategies for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.
The causes of Parkinsons disease are not yet fully understood. Long before the onset of the typical muscle tremor, the appearance of defective proteins in the brain could be the first sign. Researchers at Empa and the University of Limerick in Ireland have now taken a closer look at the abnormal shape of these alpha-synucleins in the form of protein rings. In doing so, they were also able to visualize at the nanoscale the connection with environmental pollution by copper. This sheds new light on the development of the neurodegenerative disease and the role of biometals in the disease process. In addition, the findings could provide opportunities to improve early detection and therapy of the disease.
Suspicious metal
What is known about Parkinsons disease is that neurons in the brain die off, resulting in a deficiency of the neurotransmitter dopamine. In the later stages of the disease, this leads to muscle tremors, muscle rigidity and even immobility. The slowly progressive disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease in the world after Alzheimers disease. Environmental factors such as pesticides or metals could promote the occurrence of Parkinsons.
The team led by Empa researcher Peter Nirmalraj from the Transport at Nanoscale Interfaces lab is investigating this hypothesis using imaging techniques and chemical spectroscopy as well as, in collaboration with the team of Damien Thompson at the University of Limerick, computer simulations. The researchers are targeting a protein that is involved in several molecular processes in the development of Parkinsons: alpha-synuclein. In affected individuals, this endogenous protein clumps together and causes nerve cells to die. The researchers suspect that copper in high concentrations interferes with these processes and accelerates the disease process.
Rings of evil
To visualize the clumping of the alpha-synuclein at the nanometer scale, Empa researcher Silvia Campioni from the Cellulose Wood Materials lab produced the protein artificially. Using atomic force microscopy, the researchers were then able to observe the protein, which was initially in solution, over a period of ten days as it formed individual insoluble filamentous structures before finally clumping together to form a dense network of fibrils.

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