Veterinary researchers uncover novel amyloidosis

A collaboration led by scientists at Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology (TUAT), Japan, has discovered a novel amyloid protein from canine mammary tumors. This amyloid protein, α-S1 casein, normally plays a vital role in the transport of calcium phosphate as a milk protein that provides infant nutrition, but its involvement in disease was unknown. In this study, they have shown for the first time that α-S1 casein can cause amyloidosis in vivo and clarified the detailed mechanism of amyloid formation.