- Could Lead to New Treatments Targeting the Herpes Virus
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- Researchers have long suspected a connection between
the herpes virus and Alzheimer,s disease. A new study provides a potential
explanation that could lead to development of a vaccine to prevent the
disease or new drugs to treat it, according to the researchers. The study
appears in the May 16 issue of Biochemistry, a peer-reviewed publication
of the American Chemical Society, the world,s largest scientific society.
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- Researchers at the University of California, Irvine,
demonstrated that a synthetic protein that resembles the herpes simplex
1 virus (HSV-1) mimics the structure and function of a protein called beta-amyloid,
a toxic agent that accumulates in the brains of Alzheimer,s patients.
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- Genetic sequencing revealed that two-thirds of a portion
of the viral protein is identical to the beta-amyloid protein. The researchers
showed that, like beta-amyloid, it could kill brain neurons, a key feature
in the development of Alzheimer,s. Moreover, in laboratory experiments,
the viral protein formed abnormal twisted fibers like those found in the
brains of Alzheimer,s patients " the definitive hallmark of the disease.
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- Herpes exists in two common forms. The majority of the
population acquires HSV-1, which causes cold sores, during childhood from
non-sexual contacts. Herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2), also known as genital
herpes, is transmitted by sexual contact.
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- "What,s unique about our finding is that it points
to a way in which herpes can be acting, says Frank M. LaFerla, Ph.D., principal
investigator of the study and an assistant professor in the university,s
Department of Neurobiology and Behavior. He is also associate director
of the university's Institute for Brain Aging and Dementia.
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- Most people are exposed to HSV-1, but do not develop
Alzheimer,s. LaFerla explains this apparent paradox by citing recent studies
showing that people genetically disposed to Alzheimer,s are more likely
to develop the disease if they are exposed to herpes.
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- Herpes is one of a growing number of factors believed
to contribute to Alzheimer,s, a poorly understood, incurable form of dementia
that primarily strikes the elderly and causes severe memory loss. In about
10 percent of cases there is a family history of the disease. President
Reagan suffers from the disease, as did his mother.
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- Researchers believe that the majority of the cases involve
multiple factors. While genetic predisposition has been well established,
other potential risk factors include stress, prior head injury, and an
abnormal concentration of metals in the brain, including aluminum, zinc
and lead.
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- "I think researchers will continue to find new factors
associated with Alzheimer,s disease, predicts LaFerla.
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- The study was supported by the National Institute on
Aging, the Alzheimer's Association, and the state of California.
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- Editor's Note: The original news release can be found
at http://center.acs.org/applications/news//story.cfm?story=372 Note: This
story has been adapted from a news release issued by American Chemical
Society for journalists and other members of the public. If you wish
to quote from any part of this story, please credit American Chemical Society
as the original source. You may also wish to include the following link
in any citation:
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