The new gene discovered in mouse (Mus musculus), Rps23r1, decrease levels of toxic proteins that are linked to the formation plaques and tangles in the brains of Alzheimers disease patients. Published today in Neuron and the result of a worldwide collaboration of seven institutions, the research identifies the new gene and demonstrates how it reduces the levels of protein phosphorylation of key proteins involved in Alzheimers disease pathology. “Our studies reveal a new target/pathway for regulating AD pathologies and uncover a retrogene and its role in regulating protein kinase pathways,” write the authors in the articles abstract. Read more at Eureka Alert, Burnham Institute for Medical Research, Science Daily.