Researchers at The Wistar Institute report finding a link between the genes responsible for neurofibromatosis, a common neurological disorder, and a protein believed to play a role in Alzheimer's disease.

The researchers, reporting in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, said a connection between the two diseases opens new lines of thinking for investigators studying both diseases, while also providing basic biological insights into vital cellular processes.

The protein shared by neurofibromatosis and Alzheimer's disease is kinesin-1, known to be pivotal to protein trafficking.

"This protein, kinesin-1, is like a locomotive that pulls cargo throughout the cell," says Ramin Shiekhattar, Ph.D., an associate professor at The Wistar Institute and senior author on the study.

Unrelated recent studies have also shown that kinesin-1 interacts with a protein called amyloid precursor protein, or APP, which has been implicated in Alzheimer's disease.

"If kinesin-1 is the locomotive, then APP's role appears to be to hook the cargo to the locomotive," Shiekhattar explains. "Finding kinesin-1 in protein complexes that also contain NF1 and NF2 clearly ties neurofibromatosis and Alzheimer's disease to a common cellular pathway."

Other sources: Journal of Biological Chemistry