Slashdot Mirror
Scientists 'Switch Off' Brain Cell Death In Mice
fishmike sends this excerpt from a Reuters report:
"Scientists have figured out how to stop brain cell death in mice with brain disease and say their discovery deepens understanding of the mechanisms of human neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. British researchers writing in the journal Nature (abstract) said they had found a major pathway leading to brain cell death in mice with prion disease, the mouse equivalent of Creutzfeld-Jacob Disease (CJD). ... Mallucci's team found that the buildup of mis-folded proteins in the brains of mice with prion disease activated a natural defense mechanism in cells, which switches off the production of new proteins. This would normally switch back on again, the researchers explained, but in these ill mice the continued build-up of misshapen proteins keeps the switch turned off. This is the trigger point leading to brain cell death, because key proteins essential for cell survival are not made. By injecting a protein that blocks the "off" switch, the scientists were able to restore the production of the survival proteins and halt the neurodegeneration."
First we had mice with enhanced brain development. Now, immortality! If those two research teams ever cross-breed their lab animals it will be like Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy!
[Sir Garlon] is the marvellest knight that is now living, for he destroyeth many good knights, for he goeth invisible.
Can we shutdown the defense mechanism, clear out the prions, and turn back on the defense mechanism before the brain cells die?
I'm aware that the "off" switch is there for a reason, and forcing it to stay inactive is probably going to have some nasty side effects. Am I correct in this?
Pardon my lack of complete knowledge here. I'm just IT for a cancer genomics group that just picks up stuff here and there. So I'm a bit aware that there's several points in a pathway that can be blocked, with each causing its own share of symptoms. Just simply blocking the entire "off" switch - which I would assume is a pretty deep pathway - would probably cause as much harm as it would help, wouldn't it?
Any word, as yet, on what eventually happens to the cells thus saved from early death?
Obviously, having your neurons die isn't a win; but the buildup of malformed proteins that started the shutdown process is presumably still developing if you bring protein synthesis back online.
Are the malformed proteins not a serious issue, so long as the spurious shutdown signal is ignored, or do they eventually hose the cell as well?
I mean if we can treat the diesase, it'll be only slightly scarier than e-coli.
Have prions been showed to be a/the cause of Alzheimers? I remember reading that it was theorized to be a cause, but hadn't heard confirmation.
See my journal for slashdot ID's by year. Mine created in 2005. http://slashdot.org/journal/289875/slashdot-ids-by-year
... so you could Photoshop "I haz brain cellz" at the bottom.
Was one of the mice named Jonathan Brisby?
...you have to wonder... are they trying to make real the Bairn of Pinky and the Brain?
I assume we would have to - as there are many diseases out there where the sole problem is the build up of something bad.
How difficult is it to switch them on?
Yes, because we can debug syntax errors in any language that computers speak and none of the ones people speak.
My first Journal Entry ever, in 8 years! http://slashdot.org/journal/365947/aphelion-scifi-fantasy-horror-poetry-webzine
Sounds like injecting this stuff into zombies could eliminate their craving for fresh brains. Either that or we've equivalently turned our own brains from dry cat food to premium canned cat food.
The trouble is those damn prions are exponential breeders. Unless shutting off the cell death stops the prions from interacting with the normal proteins, you are going to eventually have a brain swimming in the damn things.
For large sets, this will be our guide even unto death, for the LORD will work for each type of data it is applied to...
Sometimes it's a valid critism, particularly when the misspelled word looks like several other words and it is difficult to guess the intended meaning from context.
Case in point:
I first thought the GP meant "originaly" then I thought maybe he meant "organicly". Both words kinda fit the sentence but seemed a little off. After a minute I then realized he meant 'ordinarily". At least I think he meant ordinarily.....really only sideslash know for sure....
>buildup of mis-folded proteins in the brains of mice with prion disease activated a natural defense mechanism in cells, which switches off the production of new proteins
> but in these ill mice the continued build-up of misshapen proteins keeps the switch turned off. This is the trigger point leading to brain cell death, because key proteins essential for cell survival are not made
So instead of dying of lack of the protein, mice will die of misfolded proteins' sedimentation?
I do not believe in karma. "Funny"=-6. Do good and forbid evil. Yours, Oft-Offtopic Flamebaiting Troll.
Isn't that called "cancer"?
Technoli
Yes, because we can debug syntax errors in any language that computers speak and none of the ones people speak.
Only after reading it again an hour later does it seem like "ordinarily" is the intended word. That, and who doesn't use a spellchecker in their browser? I don't care about their/there/they're or similar typos that are easy to ignore by parsing phonetically but when a word just isn't right it would really help to have some error checking.
I think, rather than enhancing the brain with this discovery, it would be interesting to see if there are any diseases that mess with this gene that could possibly be fixed. For example, people with Parkingson's disease have a high buildup of a certain protein. This makes me wonder if there are related diseases that can be cured by "resetting" this gene.
That, and who doesn't use a spellchecker in their browser?
Those who are at work and forced to use IE7 or earlier.
Free Martian Whores!
What is Slashdot coming to?
they first practised on Dick Cheney
or people who are making a comment, cooking spaghetti, talking on the phone, and DONT LIVE THEIR/THERE LIFE to get A+ in syntax from YOU.
give it up.
CS majors know the time/space tradeoff, but they never get taught the 3rd, crucial, tradeoff of the set: comprehension!
As long as I'm a mouse.
Was one of the mice named Jonathan Brisby?
Algernon seems more apropos.
Bantam Dominique roosters crow a four-note song. Once you've heard it as "Happy BIRTHday" you can't NOT hear it that way
I was going to say that there's always a drawback that's worse than the thing you are trying to fix, otherwise evolution would have fixed it long ago.
But reading more, it seems they just fixed a degenerative disease. Which is not universal and not eradicated nearly as well by evolution. ok.
So far, we don't know how to clean it out, but it seems we might buy some time by shutting the defense mechanism off for the instances where it does more harm than good.
I just want to know if the brain stem keeps going with only the base instincts intact and if it can be transmitted through bites, or if I'm just worrying too much.
I am Bennett Haselton! I am Bennett Haselton!
Lets test it on congress first then the rest of them.
They can have my command prompt when they pry it from my cold dead fingers.