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Alzheimer's, Dementia & Mental Health
Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Diabetes, Mad Cow Similar
at Molecular Level
Protein analysis may offer new diagnoses and
treatment options
April 30, 2007 - Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's
disease, type 2 diabetes, the human version of mad cow disease, and
other degenerative diseases are more closely related at the molecular
level than scientists realized, a team reports this week in an advanced
online publication of the journal Nature.
While still preliminary, the research, could help
scientists develop tools for diagnosing such diseases, and potentially
for treating them through "structure-based drug design," said David
Eisenberg, a UCLA chemist and molecular biologist who is part of the
research team.
The researchers studied the harmful rope-like
structures known as amyloid fibrils--linked protein molecules that form
in the brain. The fibrils contain a stack of water-tight "molecular
zippers."
"With each disease, a different protein transforms
into amyloid fibrils, but all of these diseases are similar at the
molecular level," Eisenberg said.
If the molecular zipper is universal in amyloid
fibrils, as Eisenberg believes, is it possible to pry open the zipper or
prevent its formation?
Eisenberg's research team used X-ray analysis and a
sophisticated computer algorithm to study proteins known to be
associated with human diseases. When the computer said a protein will
form an amyloid fibril, it almost always did. And one team member is
experimenting with various compounds to break up the fibrils.
"Structural analysis of micro-crystals of proteins
is an example of how basic research can have a profound impact on our
understanding of health, biotechnology and other practical issues," said
Parag Chitnis, program director in National Science Foundation's (NSF)
Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences.
Editors Notes:
NSF, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the
National Institutes of Health supported the research.
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an
independent federal agency that supports fundamental research and
education across all fields of science and engineering, with an annual
budget of $5.58 billion. NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to
nearly 1,700 universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives
about 40,000 competitive requests for funding, and makes nearly 10,000
new funding awards. The NSF also awards over $400 million in
professional and service contracts yearly.
NSF Home Page:
http://www.nsf.gov
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