Researchers have discovered the process by which dietary choline crosses the blood-brain barrier. This breakthrough has potential applications in enhancing drug delivery to the brain for treating neurological disorders.
A researcher from the University of Queensland has identified molecular doorways that could facilitate the delivery of drugs to the brain for treating neurological disorders.
Dr. Rosemary Cater from UQ’s Institute for Molecular Bioscience led a team that discovered that an essential nutrient called choline is transported into the brain by a protein called FLVCR2.
“Choline is a vitamin-like nutrient that is essential for many important functions in the body, particularly for brain development,” Dr Cater said. “We need to consume 400-500 mg of choline per day to support cell regeneration, gene expression regulation, and for sending signals between neurons.”
Dr. Cater said that until now, little was known about how dietary choline travels past the layer of specialized cells that separates the blood from the brain.
Blood-Brain Barrier and Nutrient Transport
“This blood-brain barrier prevents molecules in the blood that are toxic to the brain from entering,” she said. “The brain still needs to absorb nutrients from the blood, so the barrier contains specialized cellular machines – called transporters – that allow specific nutrients such as glucose, omega-3 fatty acids, and choline to enter. While this barrier is an important line of defense, it presents a challenge for designing drugs to treat neurological disorders.”
Dr Cater was able to show that choline sits in a cavity of FLVCR2 as it travels across the blood-brain barrier and is kept in place by a cage of protein residues.
“We used high-powered cryo-electron microscopes to see exactly how choline binds to FLVCR2,” she said.
“This is critical information for understanding how to design drugs that mimic choline so that they can be transported by FLVCR2 to reach their site of action within the brain.
“These findings will inform the future design of drugs for diseases such as Alzheimer’s and stroke.”
The research also highlights the importance of eating choline-rich foods – such as eggs, vegetables, meat, nuts, and beans.
Reference: “Structural and molecular basis of choline uptake into the brain by FLVCR2” by Rosemary J. Cater, Dibyanti Mukherjee, Eva Gil-Iturbe, Satchal K. Erramilli, Ting Chen, Katie Koo, Nicolás Santander, Andrew Reckers, Brian Kloss, Tomasz Gawda, Brendon C. Choy, Zhening Zhang, Aditya Katewa, Amara Larpthaveesarp, Eric J. Huang, Scott W. J. Mooney, Oliver B. Clarke, Sook Wah Yee, Kathleen M. Giacomini, Anthony A. Kossiakoff, Matthias Quick, Thomas Arnold and Filippo Mancia, 31 April 2024, Nature.
DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07326-y
The research was funded by the National Institutes of Health.
News
Scientists Uncover Unexpected Hidden Dangers of a Common Antibiotic
In emergency rooms and intensive care units nationwide, healthcare professionals must quickly decide on antibiotics for patients suspected of having severe infections. A recent study from the University of Michigan indicates that these rapid decisions could [...]
New research to make digital transactions quantum safe and 20 times faster
A team of experts, including Monash University researchers, has developed a new technique to implement quantum-safe digital signatures twenty times faster, resulting in speedier and safer online transactions than ever before. The research, published recently [...]
Scientists use generative AI to answer complex questions in physics
When water freezes, it transitions from a liquid phase to a solid phase, resulting in a drastic change in properties like density and volume. Phase transitions in water are so common most of us [...]
An easy pill to swallow—new 3D printing research paves way for personalized medication
A new technique for 3D printing medication has enabled the printing of multiple drugs in a single tablet, paving the way for personalized pills that can deliver timed doses. Researchers from the University of [...]
Revolutionary “Quartet Nanocage” Vaccine Effective Against Coronaviruses That Haven’t Even Emerged Yet
Researchers have created a new vaccine technology that, in tests with mice, has demonstrated protection against a wide variety of coronaviruses, including those that could cause future disease outbreaks—even those not yet identified. This [...]
Researchers Warn: AI Systems Have Already Learned How To Deceive Humans
Numerous artificial intelligence (AI) systems, even those designed to be helpful and truthful, have already learned how to deceive humans. In a review article recently published in the journal Patterns, researchers highlight the dangers of [...]
MIT’s New MRI Technique Reveals Hidden Light Deep in the Brain
A novel MRI technique developed at MIT allows for detailed imaging of bioluminescence deep within the brain, offering new insights into how brain cells develop and communicate with each other. Scientists often label cells with proteins [...]
Revolutionary mRNA Cancer Vaccine Shows Immense Promise in First-Ever Human Clinical Trial
In a first-ever human clinical trial of four adult patients, an mRNA cancer vaccine created at the University of Florida rapidly reprogrammed the immune system to target glioblastoma, the deadliest and most aggressive form of brain [...]
Human brain map contains never-before-seen details of structure
A cubic millimeter of brain tissue may not sound like much. But considering that tiny square contains 57,000 cells, 230 millimeters of blood vessels, and 150 million synapses, all amounting to 1,400 terabytes of [...]
AI Ethics Surpass Human Judgment in New Moral Turing Test
AI’s ability to address moral questions is improving, which prompts further considerations for the future. A recent study revealed that when individuals are given two solutions to a moral dilemma, the majority tend to [...]
AstraZeneca removes its Covid vaccine worldwide after rare side effect
AstraZeneca withdraws COVID-19 vaccine: The pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine is being withdrawn worldwide after the company acknowledged for the first time in court documents that it can cause a rare and dangerous side [...]
AI Transforms Drug Discovery With Faster, Safer Cancer Treatments
The new platform helped UC San Diego scientists synthesize 32 potential multi-target cancer drugs. Scientists at UC San Diego have developed a machine learning algorithm to simulate the time-consuming chemistry involved in the earliest phases of [...]
Nanotech opens door to future of insulin medication
An international team, led by researchers from Australia, have developed a system using nanotechnology that could allow people with diabetes to take oral insulin in the future. The researchers say the new insulin could [...]
COVID-19’s Impact on Child Development More Subtle Than Expected
Researchers at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center express that the study results offer a sense of reassurance, instilling “guarded optimism” regarding the developmental outcomes of young children who have been exposed to restrictions stemming from [...]
New Hope for Neurological Disorders: Scientists Have Discovered How an Essential Nutrient Enters the Brain
Researchers have discovered the process by which dietary choline crosses the blood-brain barrier. This breakthrough has potential applications in enhancing drug delivery to the brain for treating neurological disorders. A researcher from the University of [...]
Developing a tech platform for fast, robust series production of nanoparticles
Nucleic acid-based medications such as mRNA vaccines offer tremendous potential for medicine and are opening up new therapeutic approaches. These active ingredients must be enclosed inside nanoparticles to ensure that they get to where [...]