Taurine: A Rescuer of Neurodegenerative Dysfunction?

Abstract

Alzheimer's disease (AD), is characterized by an accumulation of amyloid plaques that contribute to neurodegeneration. Taurine is a very essential amino acid in the nervous system, but is one of a few not used to synthesize proteins. It is found in fish, eggs, and organ meat; however, taurine is better known as a supplement in energy drinks with the purpose of depressing nervous system function. Taurine has been shown in previous studies to increase memory retention in mice. Our project aims to determine the impact of taurine on a mutant strain of C. elegans, ynIs‐79, which overexpresses the APL‐1 protein in the nervous system. We expect that supplementing the mutant nematodes' diet with taurine will positively influence the nervous system by rescuing the observed dysfunction. We tested anterior and posterior habituation following taurine exposure by tapping the worms with a sterilized eyelash until they recognized that the taps were a non‐threatening stimulus. Our hypothesis is that feeding nematodes taurine will result in a decrease in the number of taps required for the mutant nematodes to determine that it is not a harmful stimulus, suggesting an improvement in neurodegenerative dysfunction. Current results show a significant decrease in the number taps required for habituation in the ynIs‐79 strain when compared to controls.Support or Funding InformationGail Dillard Faculty Development FundingThis abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.