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Aggregation in the Brain: The Molecular Basis for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Diseases.
- Source :
-
Molecular Medicine . Jul/Aug2008, Vol. 14 Issue 7/8, p451-464. 14p. 3 Diagrams, 2 Charts. - Publication Year :
- 2008
-
Abstract
- Developing effective treatments for neurodegenerative diseases is one of the greatest medical challenges of the 21st century. Although many of these clinical entities have been recognized for more than a hundred years, it is only during the past twenty years that the molecular events that precipitate disease have begun to be understood. Protein aggregation is a common feature of many neurodegenerative diseases, and it is assumed that the aggregation process plays a central role in pathogenesis. In this process, one molecule (monomer) of a soluble protein interacts with other monomers of the same protein to form dimers, oligomers, and polymers. Conformation changes in three-dimensional structure of the protein, especially the formation of β-strands, often accompany the process. Eventually, as the size of the aggregates increases, they may precipitate as insoluble amyloid fibrils, in which the structure is stabilized by the β-strands interacting within a β-sheet. In this review, we discuss this theme as it relates to the two most common neurodegenerative conditions—Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 10761551
- Volume :
- 14
- Issue :
- 7/8
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- Molecular Medicine
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 33059253
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.2119/2007-00100.Irvine