Extracellular Vesicles in the Development of Neurodegenerative Conditions

A broad discussion of extracellular vesicles is really a broad discussion of cell communication, as much of the traffic of molecules between cells is carried inside vesicles. Researchers here discuss what is known of the roles played by vesicle-mediated communication in neurodegenerative conditions, still a very broad topic. One of the noteworthy contributions is that this traffic of vesicles enables the spread of prion-like altered and misfolded proteins, such as tau and α-synuclein, that are capable of seeding the generation of more such harmful molecules in the destination cell. Whether there are ways to selectively prevent this process of spread and seeding remains an open question; it seems a daunting prospect, since every part of the vesicle communication infrastructure performs useful functions. Many neurodegenerative disorders are characterized by the abnormal aggregation of misfolded proteins that form amyloid deposits which possess prion-like behavior such as self-replication, intercellular transmission, and consequent induction of native forms of the same protein in surrounding cells. The distribution of the accumulated proteins and their correlated toxicity seem to be involved in the progression of nervous system degeneration. Molecular chaperones are known to maintain proteostasis, contribute to protein refolding to protect their function, and eliminate fatally misfolded proteins, prohibiting harmful effects. However, chaperone network efficiency declin...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs