Publications by authors named "Christopher A Ayoub"
Tauopathies including Alzheimer's disease (AD) are neurodegenerative disorders accompanied by the conversion of functional forms of the microtubule associated protein Tau into non-functional aggregates. A variety of post-translational modifications (PTMs) on Tau precede or accompany the conversion, placing them in position to modulate Tau function as well as its propensity to aggregate. Although Tau PTMs can be characterized by their sites of modification, their total stoichiometry when summed over all sites also is an important metric of their potential impact on function.
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- * A new method called the "ratio of ratios" was used to analyze gene expression data, comparing vulnerable areas like the pre-frontal cortex with resistant ones like the cerebellum, revealing two distinct components in gene expression.
- * One component was linked to neuron-derived proteins that help prevent tau aggregation, while the other was associated with glial cells and inflammation, suggesting that this analytical approach can help identify potential drug targets to enhance resistance against Alzheimer’s-related degeneration.
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- Host genetics influence the types of microbiomes that can develop in the gut of the nematode C. elegans, impacting their physiological environments.
- A model microbiome was created to study how natural genetic variation affects the assembly of distinct microbiomes, linked to immune and metabolic signaling pathways.
- The research revealed that insulin signaling plays a crucial role in recruiting specific gut bacteria, like the Alphaproteobacteria Ochrobactrum, which is associated with increased growth rates and body size in C. elegans.
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- Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by the formation of hyperphosphorylated tau, leading to neurofibrillary tangles that contribute to cognitive decline.
- Researchers developed a recombinant form of hyperphosphorylated tau (p-tau) that spontaneously forms toxic fibrils and induces cell death without needing aggregation inducers.
- The study indicates that p-tau serves as a valuable resource for understanding AD mechanisms and may help in the search for potential therapeutic drugs.
Escherichia coli encodes two DNA ligases, ligase A, which is essential under normal laboratory growth conditions, and ligase B, which is not. Here we report potential functions of ligase B. We found that across the entire Enterobacteriaceae family, ligase B is highly conserved in both amino acid identity and synteny with genes associated with oxidative stress.
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