Admitted, this one is a bit of an odd one out between all the microbial stuff, but it is a subject near to my heart, as I used to work with MK5 (essentially, an enzyme that transfers phosphate groups to its substrate).

During our work with the protein we suspected that the protein would play a role in the nervous system, as for example discussed in section 4.2 on http://werner.yellowcouch.org/Papers/proteffect/index.html and section 2 – current results on http://nancy.yellowcouch.org/index.php/molecular-biology/phd-dissertation/full-version/ and in the transgenic mouse article on http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2238755/

Now research has found that lower levels of MK5 seem to be present in individuals who displayed cognitive decline over a time period of 10 years. The authors of the study are hopeful that this protein may hence be used as a diagnostic marker for Alzheimer’s disease. Obviously further research is warranted, and it’ll be fun to follow-up on this one 🙂

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/elder/11679183/Blood-test-could-pick-up-early-signs-of-Alzheimers-disease-10-years-early.html