Mitochondrial autophagy is found to be impaired in ME/CFS (Study by Simmaron R&D lab)

[Boba]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1519185253792837632

link to the study:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1044743122000379

Abstract:

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, also known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS), is a multisystem illness characterized by extreme muscle fatigue associated with pain, neurocognitive impairment, and chronic inflammation. Despite intense investigation, the molecular mechanism of this disease is still unknown. Here we demonstrate that autophagy-related protein ATG13 is strongly upregulated in the serum of ME/CFS patients, indicative of impairment in the metabolic events of autophagy. A Thioflavin T-based protein aggregation assay, array screening for autophagy-related factors, densitometric analyses, and confirmation with ELISA revealed that the level of ATG13 was strongly elevated in serum samples of ME/CFS patients compared to age-matched controls. Moreover, our microglia-based oxidative stress response experiments indicated that serum samples of ME/CFS patients evoke the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitric oxide in human HMC3 microglial cells, whereas neutralization of ATG13 strongly diminishes the production of ROS and NO, suggesting that ATG13 plays a role in the observed stress response in microglial cells. Finally, an in vitro ligand binding assay provided evidence that ATG13 employs the Receptor for Advanced Glycation End-products (RAGE) to stimulate ROS in microglial cells. Collectively, our results suggest that an impairment of autophagy following the release of ATG13 into serum could be a pathological signal in ME/CFS.

 

[Consul]

Sounds pretty huge to me but i think everything is huge so yeah.

But i thought the big proteomics studies would have discovered ATG13 since it is "strongly upregulated" in the serum, i guess those studies cant have included this protein then?

Also looks like there is supposed to be a supplementary file here.

 

[MartinK]

this gives an even bigger reason to more research for using Rapamycin in ME/CFS?

 

[Boba]

Sounds pretty huge to me but i think everything is huge so yeah.

But i thought the big proteomics studies would have discovered ATG13 since it is "strongly upregulated" in the serum, i guess those studies cant have included this protein then?

Also looks like there is supposed to be a supplementary file here.

Maybe it wasn’t included. I bought the pdf, can send via email if someone’s interested.

I find this very interesting: “ ATG13 also regulates the expression of antiviral interferon β to restrict viral infection and plays an essential role in innate immune response to provide antiviral immunity (Du et al., 2019)”

 

[Alvin2]

Came across this but am unable to read it:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4091178/

 

[SlamDancin]

Quick google search reveals Taurine as a possibility. Rapamycin never helped me much

“Herein, we demonstrate that taurine augments PTEN activity and inhibits Akt/mTOR signaling, which decreases phosphorylation of ULK1 and ATG13 by mTOR and activates autophagy.”

 

[Alvin2]

Quick google search reveals Taurine as a possibility. Rapamycin never helped me much

“Herein, we demonstrate that taurine augments PTEN activity and inhibits Akt/mTOR signaling, which decreases phosphorylation of ULK1 and ATG13 by mTOR and activates autophagy.”

I'm pretty sure i've tried Taurine before but i'm not sure if i am remembering that correctly.
I'll add it the list for future experimentation.

 

[SlamDancin]

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6714170/

ATG13 has some non-autophagic, anti-viral purposes, relates to type 1 IFN responses

 

[Boba]

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6714170/

ATG13 has some non-autophagic, anti-viral purposes, relates to type 1 IFN responses

Very interesting for sure. They don’t know why it is elevated, next step is finding the cause.

 

[Alvin2]

Quick google search reveals Taurine as a possibility. Rapamycin never helped me much

“Herein, we demonstrate that taurine augments PTEN activity and inhibits Akt/mTOR signaling, which decreases phosphorylation of ULK1 and ATG13 by mTOR and activates autophagy.”

Here is an e-mail from Nootropics Expert about Taurine:
I find he takes a bit of poetic license and exaggerates slightly, so bear that in mind.

Do you detest taking antibiotics as much as I do?

I dread getting a bacterial infection because my doctor always feels obligated to prescribe an antibiotic.

And every time I start an antibiotic regimen I start feeling sick.

There must be a better way to deal with a bacterial infection that doesn’t carpet bomb all the beneficial bacteria in my gut.

So, this headline caught my eye.

It’s a news release from The National Institutes of Health. And it reads, “NIH scientists identify nutrient that helps prevent bacterial infection”.

Turns out that scientists have been studying the microbiota for years with the intention of finding natural treatments to replace antibiotics.

This group of researchers from five institutes of the National Institutes of Health observed that microbiota that had experienced prior infections then helped prevent future infections.

They identified a class of bacteria called Deltaproteobacteria that participated in fighting these bacterial infections.

And they found that the nootropic supplement Taurine was the trigger for Deltaproteobacteria activity.

Taurine helps your body digest fats and oils and is naturally found in bile acids in your gut.

The poisonous gas hydrogen sulfide is a byproduct of Taurine.

Scientists think that low levels of Taurine allow pathogens to colonize your gut.

But high levels of Taurine produce enough hydrogen sulfide to prevent the colonization of bad bacteria.

During this study, researchers found that a single mild infection is enough to prepare your microbiota to resist future infections.

And your liver and gallbladder which synthesize and store bile acids containing Taurine can develop long-term infection protection.

They also discovered that Pepto-Bismol® (bismuth subsalicylate) used to treat diarrhea and upset stomach shut down this natural protection because it inhibits hydrogen sulfide production.https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#m_-4416657322876223582__edn1

This got me thinking about my review of Taurine. And one study that used data from a WHO study covering 61 populations in 25 countries.

They confirmed that populations with the highest levels of Taurine in their system lived the longest.[ii]

Could it be that the people who lived the longest did so because of fewer bacterial infections from using Taurine?

I don’t know for sure. But do know that Taurine is one the most potent and beneficial nootropic supplements I’ve reviewed this year.

Because Taurine:

• Is critical for normal human brain development
• Prevents mitochondrial dysfunction within brain cells
• Supports GABA in your brain preventing neurotoxicity & stress
• Reduces inflammation that can lead to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s
• Stimulates neurogenesis which is anti-aging
• Shields brain cells from stroke-induced brain cell damage
• Prevents beta-amyloid damage that could lead to Alzheimer’s
• Protects brain cells from heavy metals and pesticides
• Needed along with NMDA and dopamine receptors for long-term potentiation needed for long-term memory formation

And that’s just your brain. To see the rest of my research on the benefits of Taurine for whole body health, see my review here:

Nootropics Expert – Taurine

 

[borko2100]

I find that energy drinks help me somewhat. They usually contain decent amounts of Taurine, so maybe that's why they help.