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Amyloid-β oligomers, curvilinear and annular assemblies, imaged by cryo-ET, cryo-EM, and AFM

5 months 3 weeks ago
Prefibrillar structures of the amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide are central to cytotoxicity in Alzheimer's disease. Time-resolved imaging of oligomers has enabled quantification of their extension. A snapshot of these prefibrillar assemblies has been characterized using a combination of cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET), cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) single-particle analysis, and atomic force microscopy (AFM). A highly consistent diameter for all curvilinear protofibrils and oligomers of 2.8...
Ruina Liang

Gut-brain nexus: Mapping multimodal links to neurodegeneration at biobank scale

5 months 3 weeks ago
Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD) are influenced by genetic and environmental factors. We conducted a biobank-scale study to (i) identify endocrine, nutritional, metabolic, and digestive disorders with potential causal or temporal associations with AD/PD risk before diagnosis; (ii) assess plasma biomarkers' specificity for AD/PD in the context of co-occurring gut related traits and disorders; and (iii) integrate multimodal datasets to enhance AD/PD prediction. Our findings...
Mohammad Shafieinouri

Putative PINK1/Parkin activators lower the threshold for mitophagy by sensitizing cells to mitochondrial stress

5 months 3 weeks ago
The PINK1/Parkin pathway targets damaged mitochondria for degradation via mitophagy. Genetic evidence implicates impaired mitophagy in Parkinson's disease, making its pharmacological enhancement a promising therapeutic strategy. Here, we characterize two mitophagy activators: a novel Parkin activator, FB231, and the reported PINK1 activator MTK458. Both compounds lower the threshold for mitochondrial toxins to induce PINK1/Parkin-mediated mitophagy. However, global proteomics revealed that FB231...
William M Rosencrans

Structural insights into the activation of TMEM175 by small molecule

5 months 3 weeks ago
The upregulation of transmembrane protein 175 (TMEM175) has the potential to improve Parkinson's disease (PD) by aiding in the removal of α-synuclein aggregates. Understanding the structural basis of TMEM175 agonisms is crucial for uncovering its therapeutic potential for PD. Here, we have identified the first cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structure of human TMEM175 complexes with three agonists: DCY1020, DCY1040, and TUG-891. An open state of TMEM175 is unequivocally captured, laying the...
Xuewu Zhu

Biomolecular phase separation of microtubule-associated protein Tau and its role in the genesis of Brain Disorders

5 months 3 weeks ago
Microtubule-associated tau (MAP) is a crucial component for cellular cytoskeleton stability. However, upon hyperphosphorylation, these tau proteins detach from microtubules, leading to the genesis of clumpy fibrillar-rich β or paired helical filamental structures known as amyloids. Such deposits predispose a multitude of fatal disorders, including Alzheimer's Disease. The initial event behind such genesis is still a mystery. Today, numerous research studies try to untangle the initial events...
Aurgha Kamal Bhandari

Breaking shackles of molecular weight and emission for NIR-II fluorophores by regulating Columb attraction interaction

5 months 3 weeks ago
The second near-infrared (NIR-II) dyes provide advantages for in vivo imaging, but challenges persist. A primary issue is the lack of practicable strategies to balance emission wavelength and molecular weight, particularly for low-molecular-weight (<500 Da) NIR-II (λ(em) > 1000 nm) dyes. Here, we propose a strategy that tunes NIR-II emissions by reducing Coulomb attraction interaction, contrasting with traditional approaches that redshift absorption wavelengths through energy gap reduction....
Miantai Ye