All articles tagged with #protein aggregates
The article presents ASA–PD, a novel imaging platform that enables large-scale, high-sensitivity visualization and analysis of α-synuclein oligomers in post-mortem human brain tissue, revealing a disease-specific subpopulation of nanoscale assemblies associated with Parkinson's disease, and providing insights into their distribution, size, and potential role in disease progression.
Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, have discovered that the accumulation of aggregated proteins isn't what kills brain cells in neurodegenerative diseases, but rather the body's failure to turn off the cells' stress response. Their findings suggest that a drug forcing the stress response to shut down can save cells mimicking early-onset dementia, offering a potential treatment option for certain neurodegenerative diseases. The discovery of a protein complex called SIFI, which cleans up aggregates and turns off the stress response, could lead to the development of therapies to silence the stress response while maintaining the cell's cleanup of protein aggregates, potentially changing how neurodegenerative diseases are treated.
Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology have discovered that graphene oxide nanoflakes can reduce the toxicity of amyloid peptides, which are believed to be a key factor in the development of Alzheimer's disease. By treating yeast cells that accumulate these misfolded amyloid peptides with graphene oxide, the researchers observed a reduction in aggregated peptides and an increase in the cells' resistance to misfolded proteins and oxidative stress. Graphene oxide has the potential to be developed into a drug delivery system for Alzheimer's disease and may also have beneficial effects in other neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease.
Researchers have discovered a potential link between "endogenous retroviruses" present in the human genome and the development of neurodegenerative diseases. These ancient viral remnants, such as HERV-W and HERV-K, were found to aid in the transport of tau aggregates, protein clumps associated with diseases like Alzheimer's. While these retroviruses don't trigger neurodegeneration, they may exacerbate the disease process. This discovery offers new potential therapeutic avenues, such as suppressing gene expression or neutralizing viral proteins with antibodies.
A new study reveals that certain bacteria from the Desulfovibrio genus, found in the digestive systems of people with Parkinson's Disease, triggers the formation of protein aggregates in nematode worms. The authors think the majority of people affected by the disease could be infected with harmful Desulfovibrio strains, but not all Parkinson's cases can be blamed on the bacteria. Parkinson's Disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease, currently affecting over eight million people.