Novel discovery reveals how brain protein OTULIN controls tau expression and could transform Alzheimer's treatment

Scientists have uncovered a surprising mechanism by which a brain enzyme called OTULIN controls the expression of tau, the protein that forms toxic tangles in Alzheimer’s disease. The findings, published in Genomic Psychiatry, reveal that OTULIN functions not only as expected in protein degradation pathways but also plays a previously unknown role as a master regulator of gene expression and RNA metabolism.

Scientists have uncovered a surprising mechanism by which a brain enzyme called OTULIN controls the expression of tau, the protein that forms toxic tangles in Alzheimer’s disease. The findings, published in Genomic Psychiatry, reveal that OTULIN functions not only as expected in protein degradation pathways but also plays a previously unknown role as a master regulator of gene expression and RNA metabolism.