Melanoma Secrete Amyloid Beta to Colonize the Brain
Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News, March 2022
Melanoma cells that spread and grow in the brain secrete amyloid beta—nearly three times as much as melanoma cells that spread to other parts of the body, a new study finds. Researchers show amyloid beta, a protein implicated in Alzheimer’s disease, activates surrounding astrocytes—star-shaped cells that nourish neurons—to create a conducive anti-inflammatory environment for melanoma cells to lay down their roots in the brain.
The authors demonstrate inhibiting amyloid beta through pharmacological agents decreases the spread of melanoma to the brain. The study indicates suppressing neuroinflammation is a key factor governing brain metastasis and establishes amyloid beta as a potential therapeutic target for brain metastasis.