New study from Hannah Scheiblich and Michael Heneka in Neuron:
Microglia form "Tunneling Nanotubes" to remove harmful proteins from neurons and deliver healthy mitochondria. New approach for the treatment of neurodegenerative disease?
Congratulations to all authors!
www.age.mpg.de
Tiny tubes in the brainWhen nerve cells in the brain die, diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's develop. To protect these cells, there are immune cells in the brain known as microglia. A study by researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, the University of Bonn and the Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine has now shown that microglia form tiny tubes, so-called ‘tunnelling nanotubes’, and thus connect directly to the nerve cells. The microglia can transport harmful proteins away as well as supply vital substances via the tubes. These findings are important for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.
