Accumulation of tau protein in the brain is a defining feature of Alzheimer’s disease. According to a study published March 5 in the journal Cell Press. Cell Press Blueresearchers describe a newly identified biological process that may help explain how tau accumulates. The study combined animal experiments, cell studies, and patient tissue analysis. The findings point to the important role of tannycytes, specialized brain cells that help regulate communication between the brain and the rest of the body.
“Our findings reveal a previously underestimated, disease-relevant role for tanycytes in neurodegeneration,” said corresponding author Vincent Prevot from INSERM in France. “Focusing on tanycyte health may be a way to improve tau clearance and limit disease progression.”
What is Tunny Sight?
Tanycytes are non-neuronal cells located primarily in the third ventricle of the brain. Previous research has shown that they help move metabolic signals between the bloodstream and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). This fluid surrounds the brain and spinal cord and acts as a communication network that helps maintain the body’s internal balance.
How tanycyte helps remove toxic tau
In the new study, scientists investigated how tannysite supports brain health by eliminating harmful molecules such as tau. Their results show that these cells can transport toxic substances from the CSF to the bloodstream, where they can be removed from the body. If this transport system does not function properly, tau can begin to accumulate in the brain.
“Surprisingly, we were able to show in rodent and cell models not only that tanycytes are indeed involved in tau clearance, but also that tanycytes in the brains of human Alzheimer’s disease patients are fragmented and there are changes in gene expression associated with this shuttle function,” says Prebot.
Potential impact on Alzheimer’s disease treatment
Researchers say their findings suggest that protecting the brain’s internal balance may help slow the progression of neurodegeneration. At the same time, they caution that developing treatments that target tunny sites will need to overcome several challenges.
One obstacle is the lack of reliable animal models that fully reproduce Alzheimer’s disease. Another challenge is that larger patient groups and longer-term studies are needed to identify cause and effect and reveal how tannycyte dysfunction leads to tau accumulation.
“Our findings provide the first evidence of structural and functional changes in brain cells that are important in these little-known but important human diseases,” Prebot says.
This research was supported by the European Research Council, the National Institutes of Health, the Medical Research Foundation, and the French Institute of Neuroscience NRJ Foundation.
