Genes, Vol. 15, Pages 310: Identification and Analysis of Axolotl Homologs for Proteins Implicated in Human Neurodegenerative Proteinopathies

Genes, Vol. 15, Pages 310: Identification and Analysis of Axolotl Homologs for Proteins Implicated in Human Neurodegenerative Proteinopathies Genes doi: 10.3390/genes15030310 Authors: Lucas M. James Zachary Strickland Noah Lopez Jessica L. Whited Malcolm Maden Jada Lewis Neurodegenerative proteinopathies such as Alzheimer’s Disease are characterized by abnormal protein aggregation and neurodegeneration. Neuroresilience or regenerative strategies to prevent neurodegeneration, preserve function, or restore lost neurons may have the potential to combat human proteinopathies; however, the adult human brain possesses a limited capacity to replace lost neurons. In contrast, axolotls (Ambystoma mexicanum) show robust brain regeneration. To determine whether axolotls may help identify potential neuroresilience or regenerative strategies in humans, we first interrogated whether axolotls express putative proteins homologous to human proteins associated with neurodegenerative diseases. We compared the homology between human and axolotl proteins implicated in human proteinopathies and found that axolotls encode proteins highly similar to human microtubule-binding protein tau (tau), amyloid precursor protein (APP), and β-secretase 1 (BACE1), which are critically involved in human proteinopathies like Alzheimer’s Disease. We then tested monoclonal Tau and BACE1 antibodies previously used in human and rodent neurodegenerative diseas...
Source: Genes - Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Tags: Article Source Type: research