Infections caused by certain viruses such as influenza and SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, are likely to cause neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s disease, a new study by scientists at the Hyderabad-based CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) has found.
The CCMB study focuses on alpha-synuclein, a protein that plays a central role in Parkinson’s disease. Under certain conditions, this protein can clump together to form amyloid deposits in the brain. These abnormal deposits can interfere with communication between nerve cells and impair their functioning. The researchers found that RNA viruses may influence this process through unusual structures formed by their genetic material. “Unlike DNA, RNA is a single-stranded molecule, but it can fold into complex shapes. One such structure is known as an RNA G-quadruplex (rG4). The same process also appears to reduce the formation of alpha-synuclein amyloids. “The virus fails to replicate with its RNA structures dismantled, and thus, the viral load in the cells decreases.
An official release from the CCMB said the study, led by Dr Swasti Raychaudhuri’s laboratory and published in the peer-reviewed journal “Cell Reports,” provides new insights into how viral infections could promote the formation of abnormal protein clumps associated with neurodegenerative diseases. These structures formed by viral RNA can interact with alpha-synuclein and accelerate the formation of amyloid clumps,” the study said, according to the study. At the same time, the unwinding of viral RNA’s secondary structure effectively slows down alpha-synuclein amyloid formation,” said Aanchal, the first author of the study.
