New Study Reveals How Cells Export Toxic Proteins Linked to Alzheimer’s Disease

A new study by postdoctoral fellow Ajay Wagh led by Professor Michael Glickman, Dean of the Technion’s Faculty of Biology, identified a previously unrecognized way that cells may protect themselves from toxic proteins linked to Alzheimer’s disease. In this recently published study, the team reports that cells can actively remove a harmful protein variant known as UBB+1 by exporting it outside the cell, rather than relying solely on internal degradation. UBB+1 is known to accumulate in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients and interfere with normal protein quality-control systems.

The study shows that a key cellular protein, p62, acts as a molecular organizer that recognizes UBB+1 and directs it into small membrane-bound vesicles that are released from the cell through a process called secretory autophagy. When p62 is absent or dysfunctional, UBB+1 accumulates inside cells and forms toxic aggregates. This finding is especially important for neurons, which must maintain protein balance over a lifetime and are particularly vulnerable to the buildup of damaged proteins.