To visualize MFSD2A, Cater used a technique called single-particle cryo-electron microscopy. "Understanding what MFSD2A looks like and how it pulls omega-3s across the blood-brain barrier may provide us with the information we need to design drugs that can trick this bouncer and gain entry passes." The transporter-or bouncer-that lets omega-3s in is called MFSD2A and is the focus of Cater's research. "The transporters are like bouncers at a club, only letting molecules with invites or backstage passes in," Cater says.
Unfortunately, the layer also blocks many drugs that are otherwise promising candidates to treat neurological disorders.Įssential nutrients like omega-3s require the assistance of dedicated transporter proteins that specifically recognize them and get them across this barrier. The study was published online on June 16 in the journal Nature.Ī major challenge in treating neurological diseases is getting drugs across the blood-brain barrier-a layer of tightly packed cells that lines the brain's blood vessels and zealously blocks toxins, pathogens, and some nutrients from entering the brain. Cater, PhD, a Simons Society Fellow in the Mancia Lab at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. This information may allow for the design of drugs that mimic omega-3s to hijack this system and get into the brain," says first author Rosemary J. In this structure, we can see how omega-3s bind to the transporter. "We've managed to obtain a three-dimensional structure of the transporter protein that provides a gateway for omega-3s to enter the brain. NEW YORK, NY (June 16, 2021)-Spectacular images of a molecule that shuttles omega-3 fatty acids into the brain may open a doorway for delivering neurological therapeutics to the brain.
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