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Replies to post #298907 on Anavex Life Sciences Corp (AVXL)
They discovered that neurons derived from the patients de-differentiate to a precursor state.
“In other words, they cease to be neurons,” Subramaniam said. “This is the key defect observed across a diversity of patients with distinct mutations. The consequences to the brain are dramatic, with loss of synaptic connections leading to cognitive decline.”
The researchers observed other defects: neuronal genes are suppressed, so these cells no longer have any instructions telling them that they are neurons; they are in a precursor-like state, which means they can trigger cell growth and division—this is unusual because adult brains do not produce new neurons; and they have inflammation, which signals damage or stress.
The same defects were also observed in post-mortem human brain samples from patients with Alzheimer’s disease. “This was validating for our findings because we weren’t just seeing these mechanisms in the stem cells, but in actual brain samples as well,” Subramaniam said.
The researchers traced all of these mechanisms back to changes in the structure of chromatin. Parts of this structure consist of open regions, where genes are expressed or regulated, and other parts consist of closed regions, where gene expression is repressed. In the diseased neurons, some regions that used to be open are now closed, and vice versa. As a consequence, the neurons are not behaving as they should be, Subramaniam explained.
The team is now working on developing drugs to inhibit these mechanisms.
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