{
  "id": 14750128,
  "title": "How Alzheimer’s Risk Gene APOE4 Disrupts Myelination",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/15/how-alzheimers-risk-gene-apoe4-disrupts-myelination",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-10-15T17:07:16.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "GEN Biotechnology",
    "slug": "gen-biotechnology",
    "url": "https://www.genengnews.com/topics/translational-medicine/how-alzheimers-risk-gene-apoe4-disrupts-myelination/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The APOE4 gene variant, which is the primary genetic risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer's disease, undermines brain circuit function by disrupting myelination. Myelination is the process of insulating neurons with a fatty sheath to optimize electrical transmission. Research from The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at MIT has uncovered a specific molecular pathway involved in this disruption. Led by Picower Professor Li-Huei Tsai, PhD, and Leyla Akay, PhD, the researchers found that APOE4 leads to a suppression of Wnt signaling in oligodendrocyte cells, which provide neurons with fatty myelin insulation. To investigate this, they used a CRISPR gene-editing screen to systematically knock out each protein-coding gene in cultures of human APOE4-carrying oligodendrocytes. This screen showed that when genes promoting Wnt activity were lacking, lipid droplets accumulated in the oligodendrocytes, and when genes suppressing Wnt were lacking, lipid droplets were also depleted. Restoring Wnt signaling in APOE4-carrying oligodendrocytes through CRISPR correction was found to rebalance myelination. The researchers' findings, published in Cell Stem Cell, suggest that GSK3b inhibition could be a potential therapeutic target for restoring Wnt signaling and improving myelination in APOE4-carrying individuals, potentially offering new avenues for Alzheimer's disease treatment.",
  "summary": "Study linked the APOE4 gene with suppression of Wnt signaling in the oligodendrocyte cells that provide neurons with their fatty myelin insulation, and also demonstrated a potential approach to preventing disruption of myelination. The post How Alzheimer’s Risk Gene APOE4 Disrupts Myelination appeared first on GEN - Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News .",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}