scholarly journals The effect of time-dependent macromolecular crowding on the kinetics of protein aggregation: a simple model for the onset of age-related neurodegenerative disease

2014 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allen P. Minton
Keyword(s):  
Simple Model ◽  
Protein Aggregation ◽  
Neurodegenerative Disease ◽  
Macromolecular Crowding ◽  
Time Dependent ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Kinetics Of

scholarly journals Investigating the effects of molecular crowding on the kinetics of protein aggregation

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
John S. Schreck ◽  
John Bridstrup ◽  
Jian-Min Yuan
Keyword(s):  
Protein Aggregation ◽  
Kinetic Equations ◽  
Macromolecular Crowding ◽  
Molecular Crowding ◽  
Dynamic Effects ◽  
Reaction Step ◽  
Speed Up ◽  
Kinetics Of

The thermodynamics and kinetics of protein folding and protein aggregation in vivo are of great importance in numerous scientific areas including fundamental biophysics research, nanotechnology, and medicine. However, these processes remain poorly understood in both in vivo and in vitro systems. Here we extend an established model for protein aggregation that is based on the kinetic equations for the moments of the polymer size distribution by introducing macromolecular crowding particles into the model using scaled-particle and transition-state theories. The model predicts that the presence of crowders can either speed up, cause no change to, or slow down the progress of the aggregation compared to crowder-free solutions, in striking agreement with experimental results from nine different amyloid-forming proteins that utilized dextran as the crowder. These different dynamic effects of macromolecular crowding can be understood in terms of the change of excluded volume associated with each reaction step.

Description of a Simple Model for the Study of Bone Calcium Metabolism

1980 ◽  
Vol 19 (01) ◽  
pp. 11-15
Author(s):  
G. Roncari ◽  
L. Rapisardi ◽  
L. Conte ◽  
G. Pedroli
Keyword(s):  
Simple Model ◽  
Calcium Metabolism ◽  
Good Description ◽  
Radioactive Tracer ◽  
Normal Subjects ◽  
Bone Diseases ◽  
Compartment System ◽  
Bone Calcium ◽  
Finite Period ◽  
Kinetics Of

A simple model for the study of bone calcium metabolism is proposed. It describes the kinetics of a radioactive tracer in terms of an open single compartment system with an expanding volume for a finite period of time. In addition to the simplicity of the hypotheses introduced, the model is able to give a good description of the biological processes which regulate calcium kinetics. Moreover the functional parameters can be easily calculated, even just graphically. 15 normal subjects and 22 patients affected by various bone diseases were studied. The results were compared with those obtained by using the model proposed by Burkinshaw et al. and the method described by Reeve et al.

scholarly journals Steroid hormones sulfatase inactivation extends lifespan and ameliorates age-related diseases

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mercedes M. Pérez-Jiménez ◽  
José M. Monje-Moreno ◽  
Ana María Brokate-Llanos ◽  
Mónica Venegas-Calerón ◽  
Alicia Sánchez-García ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽  
Protein Aggregation ◽  
Steroid Hormones ◽  
Sensory Neurons ◽  
Environmental Cues ◽  
Steroid Sulfatase ◽  
Loss Of Function ◽  
C Elegans ◽  
Age Related

AbstractAging and fertility are two interconnected processes. From invertebrates to mammals, absence of the germline increases longevity. Here we show that loss of function of sul-2, the Caenorhabditis elegans steroid sulfatase (STS), raises the pool of sulfated steroid hormones, increases longevity and ameliorates protein aggregation diseases. This increased longevity requires factors involved in germline-mediated longevity (daf-16, daf-12, kri-1, tcer-1 and daf-36 genes) although sul-2 mutations do not affect fertility. Interestingly, sul-2 is only expressed in sensory neurons, suggesting a regulation of sulfated hormones state by environmental cues. Treatment with the specific STS inhibitor STX64, as well as with testosterone-derived sulfated hormones reproduces the longevity phenotype of sul-2 mutants. Remarkably, those treatments ameliorate protein aggregation diseases in C. elegans, and STX64 also Alzheimer’s disease in a mammalian model. These results open the possibility of reallocating steroid sulfatase inhibitors or derivates for the treatment of aging and aging related diseases.

scholarly journals Mitophagy Modulation, a New Player in the Race against ALS

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 740
Author(s):  
Enrique Madruga ◽  
Inés Maestro ◽  
Ana Martínez
Keyword(s):  
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ◽  
Protein Aggregation ◽  
Neurodegenerative Disease ◽  
Effective Treatment ◽  
Unknown Etiology ◽  
Drug Candidates ◽  
Relevant Evidence ◽  
Lateral Sclerosis

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a lethal neurodegenerative disease that usually results in respiratory paralysis in an interval of 2 to 4 years. ALS shows a multifactorial pathogenesis with an unknown etiology, and currently lacks an effective treatment. The vast majority of patients exhibit protein aggregation and a dysfunctional mitochondrial accumulation in their motoneurons. As a result, autophagy and mitophagy modulators may be interesting drug candidates that mitigate key pathological hallmarks of the disease. This work reviews the most relevant evidence that correlate mitophagy defects and ALS, and discusses the possibility of considering mitophagy as an interesting target in the search for an effective treatment for ALS.

The Cryo-EM Effect: Structural Biology of Neurodegenerative Disease Proteostasis Factors

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin C Creekmore ◽  
Yi-Wei Chang ◽  
Edward B Lee
Keyword(s):  
Neurodegenerative Diseases ◽  
Protein Aggregation ◽  
Neurodegenerative Disease ◽  
Electron Tomography ◽  
Ubiquitin Proteasome System ◽  
26S Proteasome ◽  
X Ray Crystallography ◽  
New Information ◽  
A Cell ◽  
Regulate Protein

Abstract Neurodegenerative diseases are characterized by the accumulation of misfolded proteins. This protein aggregation suggests that abnormal proteostasis contributes to aging-related neurodegeneration. A better fundamental understanding of proteins that regulate proteostasis may provide insight into the pathophysiology of neurodegenerative disease and may perhaps reveal novel therapeutic opportunities. The 26S proteasome is the key effector of the ubiquitin-proteasome system responsible for degrading polyubiquitinated proteins. However, additional factors, such as valosin-containing protein (VCP/p97/Cdc48) and C9orf72, play a role in regulation and trafficking of substrates through the normal proteostasis systems of a cell. Nonhuman AAA+ ATPases, such as the disaggregase Hsp104, also provide insights into the biochemical processes that regulate protein aggregation. X-ray crystallography and cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structures not bound to substrate have provided meaningful information about the 26S proteasome, VCP, and Hsp104. However, recent cryo-EM structures bound to substrate have provided new information about the function and mechanism of these proteostasis factors. Cryo-EM and cryo-electron tomography data combined with biochemical data have also increased the understanding of C9orf72 and its role in maintaining proteostasis. These structural insights provide a foundation for understanding proteostasis mechanisms with near-atomic resolution upon which insights can be gleaned regarding the pathophysiology of neurodegenerative diseases.

scholarly journals In vivo analysis of the size- and time-dependent uptake of NaYF4:Yb,Er upconversion nanocrystals by pumpkin seedlings

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 144-150 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Nordmann ◽  
S. Buczka ◽  
B. Voss ◽  
M. Haase ◽  
K. Mummenhoff
Keyword(s):  
Time Dependent ◽  
Upconversion Nanocrystals ◽  
In Vivo Analysis ◽  
Kinetics Of

We have investigated the kinetics of the uptake and the translocation of nanoparticles of different size in plants.

scholarly journals Determinants of mRNA stability in Dictyostelium discoideum amoebae: differences in poly(A) tail length, ribosome loading, and mRNA size cannot account for the heterogeneity of mRNA decay rates.

1988 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 1957-1969 ◽  
Author(s):  
R A Shapiro ◽  
D Herrick ◽  
R E Manrow ◽  
D Blinder ◽  
A Jacobson
Keyword(s):  
Steady State ◽  
Dictyostelium Discoideum ◽  
Mrna Decay ◽  
Decay Rates ◽  
Time Dependent ◽  
Translational Efficiency ◽  
Cdna Clones ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Kinetics Of

As an approach to understanding the structures and mechanisms which determine mRNA decay rates, we have cloned and begun to characterize cDNAs which encode mRNAs representative of the stability extremes in the poly(A)+ RNA population of Dictyostelium discoideum amoebae. The cDNA clones were identified in a screening procedure which was based on the occurrence of poly(A) shortening during mRNA aging. mRNA half-lives were determined by hybridization of poly(A)+ RNA, isolated from cells labeled in a 32PO4 pulse-chase, to dots of excess cloned DNA. Individual mRNAs decayed with unique first-order decay rates ranging from 0.9 to 9.6 h, indicating that the complex decay kinetics of total poly(A)+ RNA in D. discoideum amoebae reflect the sum of the decay rates of individual mRNAs. Using specific probes derived from these cDNA clones, we have compared the sizes, extents of ribosome loading, and poly(A) tail lengths of stable, moderately stable, and unstable mRNAs. We found (i) no correlation between mRNA size and decay rate; (ii) no significant difference in the number of ribosomes per unit length of stable versus unstable mRNAs, and (iii) a general inverse relationship between mRNA decay rates and poly(A) tail lengths. Collectively, these observations indicate that mRNA decay in D. discoideum amoebae cannot be explained in terms of random nucleolytic events. The possibility that specific 3'-structural determinants can confer mRNA instability is suggested by a comparison of the labeling and turnover kinetics of different actin mRNAs. A correlation was observed between the steady-state percentage of a given mRNA found in polysomes and its degree of instability; i.e., unstable mRNAs were more efficiently recruited into polysomes than stable mRNAs. Since stable mRNAs are, on average, "older" than unstable mRNAs, this correlation may reflect a translational role for mRNA modifications that change in a time-dependent manner. Our previous studies have demonstrated both a time-dependent shortening and a possible translational role for the 3' poly(A) tracts of mRNA. We suggest, therefore, that the observed differences in the translational efficiency of stable and unstable mRNAs may, in part, be attributable to differences in steady-state poly(A) tail lengths.

In vivo acute testicular testosterone response to injection of luteinizing hormone in the rat fetus

1993 ◽  
Vol 128 (3) ◽  
pp. 268-273 ◽  
Author(s):  
René Habert
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Concentration ◽  
Luteinizing Hormone ◽  
Leydig Cells ◽  
Time Dependent ◽  
Fetal Life ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Adult Rats ◽  
Rat Fetus ◽  
Age Related

The acute in vivo testosterone response to LH stimulation and its change during late fetal life were determined in the rat. In 18.5-day-old fetuses, testicular testosterone content was increased in a dose-and time-dependent manner after fetal subcutaneous LH injection. The maximum response was small: the testicular content and plasma concentration were increased by 200% and 2 50% over basal values respectively, while they were increased 1100% and 1200% in adult rats. Similarly, comparable low responses were obtained after subcutaneously injecting the fetuses with human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and after injecting LH into the vitelline vein. Between days 18.5 and 21.5 of fetal life, the testosterone levels in the testis and plasma of uninjected or PBS-injected fetuses decreased and were comparable in both groups. In maximally LH-stimulated fetuses, the testicular content did not change with age, and plasma concentration was lower on day 21.5 than on day 18.5. Since the number of Leydig cells increases 1.5 to 2-fold between days 18.5 and 21.5, these results show an age-related decrease in basal and maximally LH-stimulated in vivo testosterone secretions per Leydig cell during late fetal life.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document