Researchers at the University of New Mexico have uncovered an unexpected role for OTULIN, an enzyme best known for its involvement in immune system regulation. The team found that OTULIN also plays a key role in the production of tau, a protein linked to many neurodegenerative disorders, along with brain inflammation and the biological processes associated with aging.

The findings were reported in the journal Genomic Psychiatry. In the study, scientists showed that disabling OTULIN stopped tau from being produced and cleared existing tau from neurons. This was achieved in two ways: by using a specially designed small molecule or by removing the gene responsible for producing the enzyme. The experiments were carried out in two types of cells, including cells derived from a person who had died from late-onset sporadic Alzheimer’s disease and human neuroblastoma cells that are commonly used in laboratory research.

A New Target for Neurodegenerative Disease
According to Karthikeyan Tangavelou, PhD, the discovery suggests a new direction for developing treatments for Alzheimer’s disease and related neurological disorders. Tangavelou is a senior scientist in the laboratory of Kiran Bhaskar, PhD, a professor in the Department of Molecular Genetics & Microbiology at the UNM School of Medicine.

“Pathological tau is the main player for both brain aging and neurodegenerative disease,” Tangavelou said. “If you stop tau synthesis by targeting OTULIN in neurons, you can restore a heathy brain and prevent brain aging.”