What is it about?
Using shot-gun proteomics and bioinformatics to understand how amyloid toxicity can lead to neuronal cell death.
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Why is it important?
The occurrence of Alzheimer's disease in the aging population is a major public health concern. Although we don't understand what causes this disease, in many cases brain degeneration occurs in areas that also show a high level of amyloid plaques. While the role of amyloid proteins in Alzheimer's disease is not yet clear, the impact of amyloid presentation on neuronal cell health is an important scientific question. We examined the effect of the toxic form of amyloid (amyloid beta 42) on the properties of human neural cells using a high-throughput mass spectrometry approach coupled to bioinformatic analysis. This strategy enabled us to identify specific ways that amyloids can perturb the function and health of neurons.
Perspectives
This article enables us to apply systems level thinking about the properties and behavior of cells. Whole cell proteomics as an experimental strategy to study many things, including toxicity by amyloid proteins, allows for an important perspective on the many changes that co-occur in cells. Unlike more conventional pathway analysis which focuses on specific mechanisms, this strategy enables a new understanding of how various mechanisms may drive cell function.
Nadine Kabbani
George Mason University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Nicotinic receptor components of amyloid beta 42 proteome regulation in human neural cells, PLoS ONE, August 2022, PLOS,
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0270479.
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