APOE4-Expressing Astrocytes Exhibit Parkinson’s Disease–Related Pathology
Lior Nechushtai, Anna Popov, Roni Haklai, Daniel M. Michaelson, Dan Frenkel, Ronit Pinkas-Kramarski · 2026
Read APOE4-Expressing Astrocytes Exhibit Parkinson’s Disease–Related Pathology by Lior Nechushtai, Anna Popov, Roni Haklai, Daniel M. Michaelson, Dan Frenkel, Ronit Pinkas-Kramarski (2026) in the Tower of Babel, a free online library of public-domain works preserved in clean, searchable text. No sign-up. The full text is served as a plain-text file at a predictable URL, where text is present: https://antarctic-labs.com/tower-of-babel/PMC13260029.txt.
Description
Lior Nechushtai and colleagues present a 2026 cell study of how the APOE4 gene variant affects astrocytes, star-shaped support cells in the brain. APOE4 is the strongest genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease and may also matter in Parkinson's disease. The team compared astrocytes carrying APOE3 or APOE4, measuring their uptake of alpha-synuclein, a protein that clumps in Parkinson's, and their autophagy, the cell's internal recycling system.
APOE4 astrocytes took up less alpha-synuclein and showed reduced autophagy. A drug that blocks autophagy cut uptake in APOE3 cells but not APOE4 cells. Rapamycin, a drug that boosts autophagy, raised uptake in APOE4 cells. A toxin used to model Parkinson's also lowered autophagy, partly corrected by rapamycin. The authors suggest autophagy-boosting strategies could help astrocytes clear harmful protein.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Lior Nechushtai, Anna Popov, Roni Haklai, Daniel M. Michaelson, Dan Frenkel, Ronit Pinkas-Kramarski |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 47932 |
| LICENSE | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |