Neurodegenerative diseases typically involve deposits of inclusion bodies that contain abnormal aggregated proteins. Therefore, it has been suggested that protein aggregation is pathogenic. However, several lines of evidence indicate that inclusion bodies are not the main cause of toxicity, and probably represent a cellular protective response. Aggregation is a complex multi-step process of protein conformational change and accretion. The early species in this process might be most toxic, perhaps through the exposure of buried moieties such as main chain NH and CO groups that could serve as hydrogen bond donors or acceptors in abnormal interactions with other cellular proteins. This model implies that the pathogenesis of diverse neurodegenerative diseases arises by common mechanisms, and might yield common therapeutic targets.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nrm1742 | DOI Listing |
Blood
January 2025
Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
In thrombosis and hemostasis, the formation of a platelet-fibrin thrombus or clot is a highly controlled process that varies, depending on the pathological context. Major signaling pathways in platelets are well established. However, studies with genetically modified mice have identified the contribution of hundreds of additional platelet-expressed proteins in arterial thrombus formation and bleeding.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Agric Food Chem
January 2025
National Research and Development Center for Egg Processing, College of Food Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, PR China.
The heat-induced natural egg yolk is a discontinuous object formed by the accumulation of yolk spheres. However, the reason why yolk spheres form individual microgels rather than continuous gels has not been elucidated. This study investigated the different gelation behaviors in the yolk sphere exterior (EYSE) and the yolk sphere interior (EYSI) by using 4D-DIA proteomics, electron microscopy, and multispectral techniques.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCellular systems that govern protein folding rely on a delicate balance of functional redundancy and diversification to maintain protein homeostasis (proteostasis). Here, we use to demonstrate how both overlapping and divergent activities of two homologous endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-resident HSP70 family chaperones, HSP-3 and HSP-4, orchestrate ER proteostasis and contribute to organismal physiology. We identify tissue-, age-, and stress-specific protein expression patterns and find both redundant and distinct functions for HSP-3 and HSP-4 in ER stress resistance, reproduction, and body size regulation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMisfolding and aggregation of proteins into amyloidogenic assemblies are key features of several metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases. Human insulin has long been known to form amyloid fibrils under various conditions, which affects its bioavailability and function. Clinically, insulin aggregation at recurrent injection sites poses a challenge for diabetic patients who rely on insulin therapy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEven after folding, proteins transiently sample unfolded or partially unfolded intermediates, and these species are often at risk of irreversible alteration ( via proteolysis, aggregation, or post-translational modification). Kinetic stability, in addition to thermodynamic stability, can directly impact protein lifetime, abundance, and the formation of alternative, sometimes disruptive states. However, we have very few measurements of protein unfolding rates or how mutations alter these rates, largely due to technical challenges associated with their measurement.
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