BRCA1 Gene May be Involved in Alzheimer's Disease

The gene BRCA1 is known to have a mutation that causes breast cancer and ovarian cancer.  A new study done at the University of California shows that this gene may play a role in Alzheimer’s disease.  The BRCA1 gene is a tumor suppressor that plays a role in DNA repair.  Broken strands that do not get repaired normally results in the lysis of the cell, or cell death.  It is believed that Alzheimer’s disease starts from cells with unrepaired DNA dying, which is why the researchers believe BRCA1 could be the culprit.

It was found in the study that in the brains of patients that died of Alzheimer’s, there were lowered levels of the BRCA1 protein.  When tested with a model organism, healthy mice had their BRCA1 genes removed, which resulted in a large increase of breaks in the DNA.  Also, the healthy mice who had their BRCA1 levels reduced, had difficulty learning and remembering.  

This is a huge development.  Up until this point, it was not understood how people began suffering from Alzheimer’s, let alone a way to help those suffering.  If dementia is being caused from a lack of BRCA1 protein in the brain, it is quite possible pharmaceutical companies could start producing a medication that could help those affected.  It seems like further research is needed, however, this is a great step forward.

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