RuvB-like 1

RuvB-like 1 (RUVBL1) is an AAA+ ATPase that catalyzes DNA helicase activity (3' to 5' direction) and participates in chromatin remodeling complexes. It functions as a core component of the NuA4 histone acetyltransferase complex, which acetylates nucleosomal histones H4 and H2A to facilitate transcriptional activation, and is also implicated in the SWR1-like and INO80 complexes involved in nucleosome remodeling and DNA repair (UniProt: Q9Y265). RUVBL1 is essential for cell proliferation and oncogenic transformation mediated by MYC, and its ATPase activities support transcriptional programs related to growth, apoptosis, and DNA damage response.

In Alzheimer's disease, RUVBL1 is significantly downregulated in post-mortem brain tissue. Mass spectrometry analysis of four subcellular fractions (P2, P3, S2, S3) from AD brain compared to age-matched controls revealed a mean log2 fold-change of −0.29, indicating consistent reduction across fractions (Chaparral AD proteomics). This downregulation may impair chromatin remodeling and transcriptional regulation in AD pathology, potentially affecting DNA repair capacity or stress response mechanisms in affected neurons.