Protein misfolding in the late-onset neurodegenerative diseases: Common themes and the unique case of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

2013 ◽  
Vol 81 (8) ◽  
pp. 1285-1303 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vikram Khipple Mulligan ◽  
Avijit Chakrabartty
Keyword(s):  
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ◽  
Neurodegenerative Diseases ◽  
Protein Misfolding ◽  
Late Onset ◽  
Unique Case ◽  
Lateral Sclerosis

scholarly journals Bentonite Exposure in Western Pacific Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis/ Parkinsonism Dementia Complex and Neurodegenerative Diseases

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kavitha Reddy
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ◽  
Neurodegenerative Diseases ◽  
Protein Misfolding ◽  
Western Pacific ◽  
Lateral Sclerosis

Neurodegenerative diseases of protein misfolding affect humans and animals. In humans, these diseases include Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and Western Pacific amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Parkinsonism-dementia complex (ALS/PDC). Mineral exposure may be important in the pathogenesis of protein misfolding cascades. The possible association of bentonite, montmorillonite, and mineral risk factors with Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, ALS, and Western Pacific ALS/PDC is analyzed and discussed.

scholarly journals Evaluation of Peripheral Immune Activation in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mengli Wang ◽  
Zhen Liu ◽  
Juan Du ◽  
Yanchun Yuan ◽  
Bin Jiao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ◽  
Neurodegenerative Diseases ◽  
Early Onset ◽  
Late Onset ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Age At Onset ◽  
Serum Levels ◽  
Patient Groups ◽  
Als Patients ◽  
Lateral Sclerosis

Abstract Background: Accumulating evidence has revealed that immunity plays an important role in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) progression. However, the results regarding the serum levels of immunoglobulin and complement are inconsistent in patients with ALS. Although immune dysfunctions have also been reported in patients with other neurodegenerative diseases, few studies have explored whether immune dysfunction in ALS is similar to that in other neurodegenerative diseases.Methods: Serum levels of immunoglobulin and complement were measured in 245 patients with ALS, 65 patients with multiple system atrophy (MSA), 60 patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD), and 82 healthy controls (HCs). A meta-analysis including data from this study was performed to evaluate the differences in the levels of immunoglobulin and complement between ALS patients and HCs. The serum levels of immunoglobulin and complement were compared between patient groups and HCs or between ALS patient groups established by age at onset, site at onset, disease duration, or disease severity. The correlations between the levels of immunoglobulin and complement and the clinical characteristics of ALS were analysed using Spearman correlation analysis.Results: The pooled results showed that patients with ALS had higher C4 levels than did HCs, and no significant differences between these two groups in IgG, IgA, IgM, or C3 levels were found. Multiple comparisons revealed that there were no significant differences between patients with ALS and other neurodegenerative diseases in IgG, IgA, IgM, C3, or C4 levels. In addition, the IgG levels were lower in early-onset ALS patients than in late-onset ALS patients and HCs. The correlations between age at onset of ALS and IgG and IgA levels were significantly positive. Moreover, spinal-onset ALS patients had lower serum IgG levels than did HCs, but no difference was found between bulbar-onset ALS patients and HCs.Conclusions: Peripheral immunity abnormalities existed in patients with ALS, and lower IgG levels were associated with early-onset ALS.

scholarly journals Evaluation of Peripheral Immune Activation in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mengli Wang ◽  
Zhen Liu ◽  
Juan Du ◽  
Yanchun Yuan ◽  
Bin Jiao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ◽  
Neurodegenerative Diseases ◽  
Late Onset ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Age At Onset ◽  
Serum Levels ◽  
Als Patients ◽  
Immune Dysfunctions ◽  
Lateral Sclerosis

Accumulating evidence has revealed that immunity plays an important role in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) progression. However, the results regarding the serum levels of immunoglobulin and complement are inconsistent in patients with ALS. Although immune dysfunctions have also been reported in patients with other neurodegenerative diseases, few studies have explored whether immune dysfunction in ALS is similar to that in other neurodegenerative diseases. Therefore, we performed this study to address these gaps. In the present study, serum levels of immunoglobulin and complement were measured in 245 patients with ALS, 65 patients with multiple system atrophy (MSA), 60 patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), and 82 healthy controls (HCs). Multiple comparisons revealed that no significant differences existed between patients with ALS and other neurodegenerative diseases in immunoglobulin and complement levels. Meta-analysis based on data from our cohort and eight published articles was performed to evaluate the serum immunoglobulin and complement between patients with ALS and HCs. The pooled results showed that patients with ALS had higher C4 levels than HCs. In addition, we found that the IgG levels were lower in early-onset ALS patients than in late-onset ALS patients and HCs, and the correlations between age at onset of ALS and IgG or IgA levels were significant positive. In conclusion, our data supplement existing literature on understanding the role of peripheral immunity in ALS.

scholarly journals Methylene blue inhibits nucleation and elongation of SOD1 amyloid fibrils

PeerJ ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. e9719
Author(s):  
Greta Musteikyte ◽  
Mantas Ziaunys ◽  
Vytautas Smirnovas
Keyword(s):  
Methylene Blue ◽  
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ◽  
Superoxide Dismutase ◽  
Neurodegenerative Diseases ◽  
Protein Aggregation ◽  
Amyloid Fibrils ◽  
Late Onset ◽  
Amyloid Aggregation ◽  
Amyloidogenic Proteins ◽  
Lateral Sclerosis

Protein aggregation into highly-structured amyloid fibrils is linked to several neurodegenerative diseases. Such fibril formation by superoxide dismutase I (SOD1) is considered to be related to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a late-onset and fatal disorder. Despite much effort and the discovery of numerous anti-amyloid compounds, no effective cure or treatment is currently available. Methylene blue (MB), a phenothiazine dye, has been shown to modulate the aggregation of multiple amyloidogenic proteins. In this work we show its ability to inhibit both the spontaneous amyloid aggregation of SOD1 as well as elongation of preformed fibrils.

scholarly journals Evaluation of Peripheral Immune Activation in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mengli Wang ◽  
Zhen Liu ◽  
Juan Du ◽  
Yanchun Yuan ◽  
Bin Jiao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ◽  
Neurodegenerative Diseases ◽  
Early Onset ◽  
Late Onset ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Age At Onset ◽  
Serum Levels ◽  
Als Patients ◽  
Immune Dysfunctions ◽  
Lateral Sclerosis

Abstract Background: Accumulating evidence has revealed that immunity plays an important role in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) progression. However, the results regarding the serum levels of immunoglobulin and complement are inconsistent in patients with ALS. Although immune dysfunctions have also been reported in patients with other neurodegenerative diseases, few studies have explored whether immune dysfunction in ALS is similar to that in other neurodegenerative diseases.Methods: Serum levels of immunoglobulin and complement were measured in 245 patients with ALS, 65 patients with multiple system atrophy (MSA), 60 patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD), and 82 healthy controls (HCs). The serum levels of immunoglobulin and complement were compared among different groups, and the differences in the levels of immunoglobulin and complement between ALS patients and HCs were evaluated using meta-analysis including data from this study. In addition, the association between vitamins and clinical ALS characteristics were evaluated.Results: Patients with ALS had higher C4 levels than did HCs. No significant differences existed between patients with ALS and other neurodegenerative diseases in IgG, IgA, IgM, C3, or C4 levels. The IgA levels were lower in early-onset ALS patients than in late-onset ALS patients. The correlations between age at onset of ALS and IgG or IgA levels were significantly positive.Conclusions: Peripheral immunity abnormalities existed in patients with ALS, and lower IgA levels were associated with early-onset ALS.

scholarly journals Therapeutic Assay with the Non-toxic C-Terminal Fragment of Tetanus Toxin (TTC) in Transgenic Murine Models of Prion Disease

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina Betancor ◽  
Laura Moreno-Martínez ◽  
Óscar López-Pérez ◽  
Alicia Otero ◽  
Adelaida Hernaiz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ◽  
Neurodegenerative Diseases ◽  
Prion Disease ◽  
Tetanus Toxin ◽  
Neuronal Survival ◽  
Prion Diseases ◽  
Cellular Prion Protein ◽  
Murine Models ◽  
Terminal Fragment ◽  
Lateral Sclerosis

AbstractThe non-toxic C-terminal fragment of the tetanus toxin (TTC) has been described as a neuroprotective molecule since it binds to Trk receptors and activates Trk-dependent signaling, activating neuronal survival pathways and inhibiting apoptosis. Previous in vivo studies have demonstrated the ability of this molecule to increase mice survival, inhibit apoptosis and regulate autophagy in murine models of neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and spinal muscular atrophy. Prion diseases are fatal neurodegenerative disorders in which the main pathogenic event is the conversion of the cellular prion protein (PrPC) into an abnormal and misfolded isoform known as PrPSc. These diseases share different pathological features with other neurodegenerative diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease or Alzheimer’s disease. Hitherto, there are no effective therapies to treat prion diseases. Here, we present a pilot study to test the therapeutic potential of TTC to treat prion diseases. C57BL6 wild-type mice and the transgenic mice Tg338, which overexpress PrPC, were intracerebrally inoculated with scrapie prions and then subjected to a treatment consisting of repeated intramuscular injections of TTC. Our results indicate that TTC displays neuroprotective effects in the murine models of prion disease reducing apoptosis, regulating autophagy and therefore increasing neuronal survival, although TTC did not increase survival time in these models.

scholarly journals Proline/arginine dipeptide repeat polymers derail protein folding in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Babu ◽  
Filippo Favretto ◽  
Alain Ibáñez de Opakua ◽  
Marija Rankovic ◽  
Stefan Becker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ◽  
Protein Folding ◽  
Neurodegenerative Diseases ◽  
Catalyst Activity ◽  
Coding Region ◽  
Prolyl Isomerase ◽  
X Ray Crystallography ◽  
Hexanucleotide Repeat ◽  
Lateral Sclerosis ◽  
Dipeptide Repeat

AbstractAmyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia are two neurodegenerative diseases with overlapping clinical features and the pathological hallmark of cytoplasmic deposits of misfolded proteins. The most frequent cause of familial forms of these diseases is a hexanucleotide repeat expansion in the non-coding region of the C9ORF72 gene that is translated into dipeptide repeat polymers. Here we show that proline/arginine repeat polymers derail protein folding by sequestering molecular chaperones. We demonstrate that proline/arginine repeat polymers inhibit the folding catalyst activity of PPIA, an abundant molecular chaperone and prolyl isomerase in the brain that is altered in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. NMR spectroscopy reveals that proline/arginine repeat polymers bind to the active site of PPIA. X-ray crystallography determines the atomic structure of a proline/arginine repeat polymer in complex with the prolyl isomerase and defines the molecular basis for the specificity of disease-associated proline/arginine polymer interactions. The combined data establish a toxic mechanism that is specific for proline/arginine dipeptide repeat polymers and leads to derailed protein homeostasis in C9orf72-associated neurodegenerative diseases.

scholarly journals Paraoxonase Role in Human Neurodegenerative Diseases

Antioxidants ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 11
Author(s):  
Cadiele Oliana Reichert ◽  
Debora Levy ◽  
Sergio P. Bydlowski
Keyword(s):  
Oxidative Stress ◽  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ◽  
Neurodegenerative Diseases ◽  
High Density Lipoprotein ◽  
Density Lipoprotein ◽  
Structural Homology ◽  
Redox Systems ◽  
Genetic Cluster ◽  
Lateral Sclerosis

The human body has biological redox systems capable of preventing or mitigating the damage caused by increased oxidative stress throughout life. One of them are the paraoxonase (PON) enzymes. The PONs genetic cluster is made up of three members (PON1, PON2, PON3) that share a structural homology, located adjacent to chromosome seven. The most studied enzyme is PON1, which is associated with high density lipoprotein (HDL), having paraoxonase, arylesterase and lactonase activities. Due to these characteristics, the enzyme PON1 has been associated with the development of neurodegenerative diseases. Here we update the knowledge about the association of PON enzymes and their polymorphisms and the development of multiple sclerosis (MS), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD).

scholarly journals Bile Acids Reduce Prion Conversion, Reduce Neuronal Loss, and Prolong Male Survival in Models of Prion Disease

2015 ◽  
Vol 89 (15) ◽  
pp. 7660-7672 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonardo M. Cortez ◽  
Jody Campeau ◽  
Grant Norman ◽  
Marian Kalayil ◽  
Jacques Van der Merwe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ◽  
Neurodegenerative Diseases ◽  
Bile Acids ◽  
Prion Disease ◽  
Prion Diseases ◽  
Neuronal Loss ◽  
Disease Models ◽  
Orally Bioavailable ◽  
Prion Conversion ◽  
Lateral Sclerosis

ABSTRACTPrion diseases are fatal neurodegenerative disorders associated with the conversion of cellular prion protein (PrPC) into its aberrant infectious form (PrPSc). There is no treatment available for these diseases. The bile acids tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA) and ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) have been recently shown to be neuroprotective in other protein misfolding disease models, including Parkinson's, Huntington's and Alzheimer's diseases, and also in humans with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Here, we studied the therapeutic efficacy of these compounds in prion disease. We demonstrated that TUDCA and UDCA substantially reduced PrP conversion in cell-free aggregation assays, as well as in chronically and acutely infected cell cultures. This effect was mediated through reduction of PrPScseeding ability, rather than an effect on PrPC. We also demonstrated the ability of TUDCA and UDCA to reduce neuronal loss in prion-infected cerebellar slice cultures. UDCA treatment reduced astrocytosis and prolonged survival in RML prion-infected mice. Interestingly, these effects were limited to the males, implying a gender-specific difference in drug metabolism. Beyond effects on PrPSc, we found that levels of phosphorylated eIF2α were increased at early time points, with correlated reductions in postsynaptic density protein 95. As demonstrated for other neurodegenerative diseases, we now show that TUDCA and UDCA may have a therapeutic role in prion diseases, with effects on both prion conversion and neuroprotection. Our findings, together with the fact that these natural compounds are orally bioavailable, permeable to the blood-brain barrier, and U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved for use in humans, make these compounds promising alternatives for the treatment of prion diseases.IMPORTANCEPrion diseases are fatal neurodegenerative diseases that are transmissible to humans and other mammals. There are no disease-modifying therapies available, despite decades of research. Treatment targets have included inhibition of protein accumulation, clearance of toxic aggregates, and prevention of downstream neurodegeneration. No one target may be sufficient; rather, compounds which have a multimodal mechanism, acting on different targets, would be ideal. TUDCA and UDCA are bile acids that may fulfill this dual role. Previous studies have demonstrated their neuroprotective effects in several neurodegenerative disease models, and we now demonstrate that this effect occurs in prion disease, with an added mechanistic target of upstream prion seeding. Importantly, these are natural compounds which are orally bioavailable, permeable to the blood-brain barrier, and U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved for use in humans with primary biliary cirrhosis. They have recently been proven efficacious in human amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Therefore, these compounds are promising options for the treatment of prion diseases.

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