TDO2

Microscopic photograph: In the top row - a photograph of the brain of a normal fly, and in the bottom row - the brain of a fly with neurodegeneration, showing holes in the brain. Credit: Shai Kloksi

An enzyme that prevents sleep and mood disorders

The researchers showed that a deficiency in SIRT6 (which declines with age) diverts tryptophan into the neurotoxic kynurenine pathway at the expense of serotonin and melatonin production; inhibiting the enzyme TDO2 in fruit flies reduced brain damage and neuromotor deterioration. The findings were published in Nature