Defective protein shapes – not harmful chemical changes – could be to blame for Alzheimer’s as well as other diverse diseases, according to two studies in the journal Nature.

Proteins are chemical messengers in cells that carry out instructions
encoded in genes. Their specific purpose is determined by their make-up and three-dimensional fold.

When the proteins "misfold," and go awry, they spread absolute destruction on cells.

Until now, scientists believed that misfolding was an uncommon occurrence, limited to less than two dozen proteins.

Although they still are not sure why it happens, scientists now believe this misfolding could be common to any protein in the body, resulting in a process thought to be associated with diseases that take decades to develop.

A University of Cambridge study encompassed coaxing otherwise harmless muscle and bacteria proteins to take on misfolded, intermediate forms, with results proving toxic to healthy cells in laboratory cultures.

In a separate study of laboratory rats, scientists at Boston’s Harvard
Medical School found that misfolded forms of amyloid beta protein – a recognized component in Alzheimer’s disease – disrupted the chemical mechanism in the brain where memories are stored.

Perhaps more importantly, they found that chemical blockers of the enzyme that makes the bad protein also works to prevent the formation of clumps in cell culture, while continuing to function normally.

According to the study’s authors, the detection of chemical blockers – called gamma-secretase inhibitors – will be the basis for further research by several pharmaceutical companies.

Other Sources: Nature