HSINCHU, Taiwan, Oct 7 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) — One of the causes of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s is the calcification of the basal nucleus of the brain, which blocks the membrane protein channels on the surface of brain cells, preventing the transmission of signal molecules and nutrients to the cells. A research team led by Professor Sun Yuh-Ju of the Institute of Bioinformatics and Structural Biology, working in conjunction with Chwan-Deng Hsiao’s laboratory at Academia Sinica’s Institute of Molecular Biology, has recently solved the mystery which has long surrounded the molecular structure of the “phosphate transporter” and their findings are expected to have a significant impact on research into the treatment of dementia. The team’s research finding has been published in the August issue of Science Advances.
According to Sun, membrane proteins, such as receptors, transporters and channels, are responsible for transmitting signals and supplying energy to cells, and therefore play a very important role in the development of pharmaceuticals. Human phosphate transporter (hPiT) is an important membrane protein for transporting phosphate and sodium ions into brain cells. But pathological changes can block this transport, allowing calcium phosphate to precipitate on the surface of the cell membrane, which will eventually lead to calcification of the basal nucleus, thereby producing the neurodegenerative symptoms typical of Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease.