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World Alzheimer's Month New Alzheimer’s Suspects

New potential target for treating Alzheimer's identified

02 September 2019

New Alzheimer’s Suspects

This human macrophage cell shows the presence of proteins TREM2 (red) and MS4A (green), both of which have been recently linked to Alzheimer’s disease and found to work together in the brain. The proteins are expressed in the brain’s microglial cells – a type of macrophage responsible for clearing cell debris and waste proteins to keep the brain spick and span. Although it’s not clear exactly how TREM2 and MS4A work, research indicates that the levels of soluble TREM2 released from microglia is correlated with Alzheimer’s risk – patients with high TREM2 levels in their cerebrospinal fluid have a lower risk of Alzheimer’s and vice versa – and, that variants of MS4A influence the production of this soluble TREM2. Importantly, silencing the MS4A gene in human macrophages reduces TREM2 production. This suggests that, if a protective role for soluble TREM2 in Alzheimer’s is confirmed, MS4A inhibition may be a potential treatment strategy.

Written by Ruth Williams

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BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

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