Nat commun found molecular glue protecting brain cell connections

Researchers at the University of Queensland have found that certain connections between brain cells can resist degeneration, a sign of traumatic brain injury and neurodegenerative disease Dr Sean Coakley and Professor Massimo Hilliard of the Clem Jones Alzheimer's research center at the Queensland Brain Institute at the University of Queensland have found a way in which cells control the stickiness of molecular glue, which protects connections between brain cells, to prevent neurodegeneration Dr Coakley said: "our brain cells transmit electrical signals to each other through a long cable like structure called axons, which are like cables and need protection and maintenance to work properly Axons are only one in 50 of the width of human hair, so they are extremely vulnerable - the loss of connections between neurons can have devastating consequences for the brain " Professor Hilliard said that when the body moves, such as when your legs and arms bend and stretch, the axons are under constant pressure Professor Hilliard said: "in Caenorhabditis elegans, axons carrying tactile information are embedded in the skin of worms, and we found that this actually protects them and resists mechanical pressure When the axon sticks to the surrounding skin, the simple movement of the worm can provide enough force to break the axon into two parts when the adhesion fails " By combining genetics and high-resolution microscopy, researchers have found that a group of molecules control the strength or "adhesion" of this adhesion, which is essential to maintain the structure and function of axons "It's worth noting that these molecules are present in species across the animal kingdom, including mammals, suggesting that they may play a similar role," Dr Coakley said "These molecules reveal how these fragile axons prevent degeneration in healthy individuals and how they can go wrong in a state of disease Despite descriptions of axonal degeneration more than 100 years ago, we are still trying to understand how these basic connections remain intact "The study was published in nature communications.