October 15, 2010
Strange BiologyA Common Ingredient Could Help in Finding a Cure for Parkinson's Disease
Yeast, the ingredient that makes bread rise, is giving researchers insight into Parkinson's disease. (Photo credit: Martyn F. Chillmaid / Photo Researchers, Inc.)
The ingredient that causes bread to rise is playing in important role in research aimed at finding a treatment for Parkinson’s disease. Scientists are using baker’s yeast to study how a certain protein, called alpha-synuclein, leads to the development of this debilitating disease.
"Yeast is a very simple but powerful model in which to study how alpha-synuclein actually works as, remarkably, many of the biochemical pathways involved are similar between yeast and humans," Dr. Outeiro said in a press release provided by the Society for General Microbiology. "There is still a lot we don't know about the function of this protein, but we do know that even small increases in the level of alpha-synuclein in cells lead to cell death."
Parkinson’s disease affects between four and six million people around the world. According to the National Parkinson Foundation, Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative brain disorder that typically progresses slowly in most patients. Neurodegenerative refers to a type of disease in which there is a progressive loss of neuron, or brain cell, structure or function. Symptoms of this disease include tremors (visible shaking of hands, arms, legs, jaw or face), slowness of movement, limb stiffness, and impaired balance and coordination. Currently, there is no cure for Parkinson’s disease.
This enhanced SEM image shows an up-close view of yeast cells. (Photo credit: SciMAT / Photo Researchers, Inc.)
The symptoms of Parkinson’s disease result from the death of neurons in the brain that produce dopamine. A decrease in dopamine—a chemical that is used by the nervous system to control muscle activity—leads to the exhibition of symptoms such as uncontrollable shaking.
Another sign of Parkinson’s disease is the presence of protein deposits in neurons in the brain called Lewy bodies. A major component of these deposits is a protein called alpha-synuclein. In their research, Dr. Outeiro and his colleagues screened 115,000 small compounds to test their ability to block the function of alpha-synuclein in modified yeast cells. They found that several molecules were successful in preventing the development of Parkinson’s disease in worms and blocking alpha-synuclein from functioning in rat neurons. The scientists think that further research focused on blocking the function of alpha-synuclein may one day lead to an effective treatment for the disease in human patients.
“With the aging of the human population the number of people affected by Parkinson’s disease will continue to increase. This means the disease will become an even greater problem for modern societies due to the tremendous socio-economic costs associated,” Dr Outeiro said in the press release about the research. “It’s therefore imperative that treatments for such neurodegenerative diseases are developed. Our studies in yeast have enabled us make a step towards this.”
Comments
Comment from: Person
October 23, 2010 10:44 AM [#]
This website always helps me with my science paragrahs!
Comment from: Jordan
October 3, 2011 03:30 PM [#]
This article should have th author's name on it somewhere. Overall, I liked it though.