When researchers previously compared the human and chimpanzee genomes, they found that humans have a unique version of the CD33 gene. It turns out that higher levels protect against Alzheimer’s disease.
The authors of a new scientific paper have suggested that infectious diseases such as gonorrhea may have influenced human evolution. This is because gonorrhea bacteria coat themselves with sugars to which CD33 receptors bind. Bacteria can trick human immune cells into not identifying them as foreign.
It is possible that humans originally inherited a mutant form of CD33 to protect against gonorrhea during their reproductive years, and this gene variant was later found to be of additional benefit due to its anti-dementia benefits.
Source: Ferra
