Transthyretin Amyloid May Contribute to the Progression of Cartilage Damage and Osteoarthritis

Earlier this year researchers published evidence suggesting that rising levels of transthyretin (TTR) amyloid may contribute to age-related damage to cartilage tissue in joints and consequent development of osteoarthritis. Amyloids of various types accumulate in tissue with advancing age, each resulting from a different misfolded protein whose altered properties in that state cause it to form solid deposits. The biochemistry of this process is different in each case, and usually complex and incompletely understood. You don't have to look any further than the field of Alzheimer's research and the still dominant amyloid hypothesis to see that investigations of amyloid biochemistry are enough to keep most of a sizable scientific industry busy for decades. Knowledge of amyloid-β has grown in proportion to the funding and attention directed to the Alzheimer's research community, but for many of the other forms of amyloid it isn't entirely clear as to exactly how their presence contributes to the age-related conditions that correlate with the presence. In some cases this is because the data is still arriving: researchers were not looking in the right place, or not paying enough attention, or lacked funding for the necessary investigations. TTR amyloidosis is an excellent example of this situation, as until fairly recently the majority of research interest focused on the rare inherited form of the condition, which is caused by genetic mutation and leads to an abnormally rapid accu...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Medicine, Biotech, Research Source Type: blogs