Rockefeller University other research news
University researchers showed in Nature Genetics that a protein made by the apolipoprotein E gene protects cultured nerve cells from the damage caused by reactive oxygen molecules. This antioxidant action is a previously unknown function of apoE, which transports cholesterol and other fatty substances through the blood.They also showed that each of the three forms of apoE - E2, E3 and E4 - had different levels of antioxidant activity, with the E2 protein being the most effective and E4 least effective in protecting neurons from damage caused by reactive oxygen molecules, free radicals or beta-amyloid pepide. It is known that beta-amyloid peptide, a major component of the brain plaques characteristic of Alzheimer's, spontaneously produces free radicals. ...