According to new research published in the journal PLOS Biology, reducing the methylation of a key messenger RNA can promote migration of macrophages into the brain and alleviate symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease (AD).
The findings shed light on a potential entry point for immune cells from the periphery into the brain, which could be a new therapeutic target for Alzheimer’s disease.
“In this study, we found that METTL3 deficiency increased the infiltration of monocyte-derived macrophages in an Aβ-induced AD mouse model,” researchers explained in their report.
“Further analysis demonstrated that METTL3 ablation in monocyte-derived macrophages attenuated the m6A modification in Dnmt3a mRNAs and subsequently impaired the translation of DNMT3A and ATAT1 expression and acetylation of tubulin, which enhanced the migration of monocyte-derived macrophages, accelerated the clearance of Aβ and alleviated AD symptoms.”
The study was released on March 7, 2023.
