Connections between Skywalker protein and brain lipids could be a target for the treatment of epilepsy
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A collaborative study between two Belgian research groups has revealed the structure and function of the ‘Skywalker’ protein in detail, identifying how its connections with certain lipids could be responsible for epileptic seizures. The research has been published in the journal Nature Structural and Molecular Biology. The group of Patrik Verstreken from Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Belgium) previously demonstrated the importance of Skywalker protein in regulating communication between brain cells; while Skywalker protein is present in fruit flies, TBC1D24 is the equivalent protein found in humans. Verstreken explained the clinical significance of this protein: “Genetic mutations of the protein TBC1D24 cause...
