by Zaara Abbas / May 29, 2024
Scientists at the University of California, Santa Barbara have made an exciting breakthrough that could lead to new treatments for devastating degenerative diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and retinitis pigmentosa (an inherited eye disease that causes blindness). Researchers unintentionally found an important link between a protein called ZIP7 and the cell's ability to get rid of misfolded or defective proteins. When proteins don't fold into their proper 3D shapes, they can clump up and cause serious harm. This buildup of misfolded proteins is what underlies many incurable degenerative conditions.
Here's how ZIP7 comes into play: This protein transports zinc, an essential mineral, into a part of the cell where proteins are manufactured. Zinc is required for an enzyme called Rpn11 to remove the molecular "recycle tag" from misfolded proteins so they can be broken down and cleared away. By increasing ZIP7 levels, the scientists were able to boost zinc levels, ramp up Rpn11's ability to remove those tags, and drastically improve the cell's capacity to dispose of harmful misfolded proteins.
Most excitingly, when the researchers overexpressed ZIP7 in fruit flies with a mutation causing retinitis pigmentosa, a staggering 65% avoided going blind. This is an extremely promising result for a currently untreatable disease.
The implications go far beyond just retinal degeneration. With aging, our cells become less efficient at clearing misfolded proteins, contributing to many age-related diseases. Boosting ZIP7 levels could potentially slow onset or progression of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and more.
While much more research is still needed, this accidental finding from studying basic cell biology opens up an exciting new potential for tackling some of the most devastating and costly diseases facing our aging population. By harnessing ZIP7's ability, there may finally be a way to treat the underlying protein defects driving neurodegeneration.
Citations:
University of California - Santa Barbara. (2024, May 18). Zip7 protein: New target for treating degenerative diseases like alzheimer’s and parkinson’s. SciTechDaily. https://scitechdaily.com/zip7-protein-new-target-for-treating-degenerative-diseases-like-alzheimers-and-parkinsons/
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