Scientists have discovered how the DAXX protein protects the brain from aging and inflammation

The DAXX protein may protect brain immune cells from age-related changes and associated inflammation. This conclusion was reached by scientists whose study was published in the journal Nature Neuroscience (NN).

The researchers studied microglia, immune cells that protect the brain, remove damaged cells and help fight infections. As we age, their function changes: they can become overactive and maintain chronic inflammation.

Experiments on mice have shown that the level of DAXX protein in microglia decreases with age. This protein helps keep sections of DNA in an inactive state that should normally remain “switched off.”

When scientists specifically turned off DAXX in young mice, these sections of DNA were activated, and microglial cells began to behave as they do during aging. They developed DNA damage and signs of cellular aging, and increased inflammation in the brain.

A similar inverse relationship between the level of DAXX and the activity of these DNA sections was found in the analysis of the blood of more than three thousand people.

The authors suggest that maintaining DAXX activity and the ability of cells to control such DNA sections may be one of the ways to protect the brain from age-related inflammation.