We are proud to share with you another publication that has utilized Alpha Nano Tech services. Ruth E. Thomas and Evelyn S. Vincow from Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA have shown in their PLOS Genetics paper a connection between Glucocerebrosidase deficiency and dysregulation of extracellular vesicles. Mutations in the glucosylceramidase beta (GBA) gene are strongly associated with neurodegenerative diseases marked by protein aggregation. A common explanation for the link between GBA mutations and protein aggregation is that lysosomal accumulation of glucosylceramide causes impaired autophagy. Proteomic analyses revealed that known autophagy substrates, which had severely impaired turnover in autophagy-deficient Atg7 mutants, showed little to no overall slowing of turnover or increase in abundance in Gba1b mutants. Likewise, Gba1b mutants did not have the marked impairment of mitochondrial protein turnover seen in mitophagy-deficient parkin mutants. Proteasome activity, microautophagy, and endocytic degradation also appeared unaffected in Gba1b mutants. However, the authors found striking changes in the turnover and abundance of proteins associated with extracellular vesicles (EVs), which have been proposed as vehicles for the spread of protein aggregates in neurodegenerative disease. These changes were specific to Gba1b mutants and did not represent an acceleration of normal aging. Their findings indicate that glucocerebrosidase deficiency causes pathogenic changes in EV metabolism and may promote the spread of protein aggregates through extracellular vesicles.
For more details read the full article HERE.