A surface protein on brain support cells slows ageing
The brain’s ageing is not driven by neurons alone. Their support cells, called glia, play an important role too. A new study in fruit flies has identified a cell-surface protein in glial cells that helps keep the ageing brain healthy.
Glial cells maintain the brain environment, support neurons and clear cellular waste. Researchers developed a method to map proteins on the outer surface of glial cells in intact brain tissue and applied it to young and old fruit flies. The study, published in eLife, identified candidate genes involved in brain aging, including one that, when boosted, extended fly lifespan.
DIP-β as a glial regulator of brain aging
The protein DIP-β was substantially less abundant on the glial cells of old flies compared to young ones. When the researchers increased DIP-β production specifically in the glial cells of adult flies, lifespan increased. Whole-head single-nucleus RNA sequencing revealed that DIP-β overexpression mainly affects glial and fat cells and is associated with improved cell-to-cell communication within the brain.
Declining communication between brain cells is a recognised feature of brain aging, observed in animal models and reflected in comparable processes in human aging biology. The findings suggest that surface proteins on glial cells may actively regulate how well the aging brain maintains its internal signalling network.
From fly to human: cautious perspective
The fruit fly is an established model for studying brain aging because core cellular mechanisms are conserved across evolution. Translating these findings to humans remains a large step. Whether DIP-β or similar proteins play a role in human neurodegeneration is not yet known. The surface proteomics method, which systematically maps cell-surface proteins in intact tissue, may however prove broadly useful for identifying new targets in brain aging research.
Search terms to explore further: glial cell surface proteomics brain aging, cell-cell communication neurodegeneration, Drosophila brain aging model