The team found that an essential nutrient called choline crosses the blood-brain barrier and enters the brain through a protein transporter called FLVCR2. This finding will inform the future design of drugs to treat diseases such as Alzheimer's and stroke, which can be smuggled into the brain by mimicking choline.

A researcher at the University of Queensland has discovered molecular pathways that can be used to help deliver drugs to the brain to treat neurological disorders. Dr Rosemary Cater's research team at the University of Queensland's Institute of Molecular Biosciences has discovered that an essential nutrient called choline is delivered to the brain via a protein called FLVCR2.

"Choline is a vitamin-like nutrient that is essential for many important functions in the body, especially brain development," says Dr. Cater. We need to consume 500-0 mg of choline per day to support cell regeneration, gene expression regulation, and signaling between neurons. ”

Dr. Cater notes that so far, little is known about how choline in the diet separates the blood from the brain through special layers of cells. "This blood-brain barrier prevents molecules in the blood that are toxic to the brain from entering the brain. The brain still needs to absorb nutrients from the bloodstream, so this barrier contains specialized cellular machines – known as transporters – that allow specific nutrients such as glucose, omega-3 fatty acids, and choline to enter. While this barrier is an important line of defense, it presents challenges in the design of drugs to treat neurological disorders. ”

Dr. Cater was able to demonstrate that choline is located in a cavity as FLVCR2 crosses the blood-brain barrier and is immobilized by a cage formed by protein residues. "We used high-power cryo-electron microscopy to see how choline binds to FLVCR0. This is key information on how to design drugs that mimic choline so that they can be transported via FLVCR0 to sites of action within the brain. These findings will inform future drug designs for diseases such as Alzheimer's and stroke. ”

The study also highlights the importance of consuming choline-rich foods such as eggs, vegetables, meat, nuts, and legumes.

The study, published in the journal Nature, was funded by the National Institutes of Health.

Dr Cater joined the University of Queensland in 2024 years after receiving the Australian Research Council Early Career Fellowship Award. She conducted most of her research in the lab of Professor Filippo Mancia at Columbia University in New York and worked closely with the lab of Thomas Arnold, an associate professor at the University of California, San Francisco.