Modifying Messenger RNA May Provide New Target for Alzheimer’s Disease; Complex Path Promotes Immune Cell Migration and Clearance of Toxic Protein

Reducing the methylation of a key messenger RNA can promote migration of macrophages into the brain and ameliorate symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease in a mouse model, according to a new study published on March 7, 2023 in the open access journal PLOS Biology by Rui Zhang of Air Force Medical University in Xian, Shaanxi, China, and colleagues. The results illuminate one pathway for entrance of peripheral immune cells into the brain, and may provide a new target for treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. The article is titled “Loss of the m6A Methyltransferase METTL3 in Monocyte-Derived Macrophages Ameliorates Alzheimer’s Disease Pathology in Mice.”