CSIC detects the presence of malformed proteins in the gut microbiota associated with Parkinson’s disease.

CSIC detects the presence of malformed proteins in the gut microbiota associated with Parkinson’s disease.Adobe STOCK

It is estimated that around 160,000 people in Spain have Parkinson’s disease According to the Spanish Parkinson’s Federation, this figure rises to more than 7 million worldwide. In the search for a cure for this neurodegenerative disease or to reduce symptoms, it has been discovered that changes in the gastrointestinal microbiome, thousands microorganisms which live in the digestive system play an active role in neurological disorders.

And now a study carried out by the Supreme Council of Scientific Research (CSIC) has discovered the presence of bacterial amyloids – protein aggregates inside the cell, present in certain bacteria– associated with Parkinson’s disease. The discovery, which was published in the journal Natural communicationscould provide tools to create early diagnosis pathology.

“This study fills a gap in knowledge not only about the pathological aspects of Parkinson’s disease, but also about its initial stages at the intestinal level. Our results may have important implications for the development of tools that will allow early diagnosis and more effective treatments aimed at the initial stages of this pathology,” points out Jaione Valle, scientist at the Institute of Agrobiotechnology (IdAB-CSIC).

amyloids

The intestinal microbiota forms the most abundant biofilm in the human body and has a significant impact on human health and disease. This allowed us to demonstrate that the bacteria inhabiting human intestine produce biofilm-associated proteins (BAPs) that assemble into amyloidan abnormal protein that is produced in the bone marrow and can be deposited in clumps in any tissue or organ, causing it hard and it doesn’t work as it should. Parkinson’s disease is a type of amyloidosis that is characterized by the accumulation of amyloid fibrils of alpha-synuclein, a naturally occurring protein found in brain and predominates in nerve endings.

Bacterial amyloids, which have a fibrillar structure similar to human amyloids, accumulate in the intestines and may be involved in the development of diseases. Using fecal samples In humans, the research team was able to detect the presence of bacterial amyloids, which made it possible to evaluate their potential neurodegenerative activity.

Genes

Analyzing data from patients with Parkinson’s disease and neurologically healthy controls, the researchers showed that the abundance of genes encoding BAP proteins in the gut microbiome correlates with Parkinson’s disease. These genes are located in the accessory genome of the microbiota, suggesting that only certain bacterial strains can produce amyloid.. This highlights the importance of analyzing the genetic content of the microbiota rather than focusing only on the presence of certain bacterial species.

Using various tests, the scientific team showed that bacterial amyloids interact with α-synuclein and accelerate their accumulation. A accumulation crazy from protein α-synuclein is associated with Parkinson’s disease. And the effects of bacterial amyloid in the brain mice significantly increases the half-life of α-synuclein.