You are here

UCF Digital Collections ยป ETD Collection

Mechanisms of Alpha-Synuclein-Induced Neurodegenertaion in Parkinson's Disease and Stroke

Download pdf | Full Screen View

Date Issued:
2011
Abstract/Description:
Parkinson's disease (PD) is a debilitating neurodegenerative disorder affecting one million Americans. Despite its social and economic impact, the pathological cascades that lead to neuron dysfunction and degeneration in PD are poorly understood. Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress has been implicated as an initiator or contributing factor in neurodegenerative diseases including PD. The ER is an organelle central to protein folding and intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis. Perturbations of these functions result in ER stress and upregulation of ER stress proteins, of which some have been implicated in counteracting ER stress-induced cell death. The mechanisms that lead to ER stress and how ER stress proteins contribute to the degenerative cascades remain unclear but their understanding is critical to devising effective therapies for PD. Both the accumulation of mutant a-synuclein (aSyn), which causes an inherited form of PD, and the inhibition of mitochondrial complex I function by PD-inducing neurotoxin lead to ER stress. The critical involvement of ER stress in experimental models of PD supports its potential relevance to PD pathogenesis and led us to test the hypothesis whether the homocysteine-inducible ER protein (Herp), an ubiquitin-like domain (UBD) containing ER-resident protein, can counteract mutant Alpha Syn- and neurotoxin- induced pathological cascades.
Title: Mechanisms of Alpha-Synuclein-Induced Neurodegenertaion in Parkinson's Disease and Stroke.
27 views
10 downloads
Name(s): Belal, Cherine, Author
Chan, Sic, Committee Chair
Ebert, Steven, Committee Member
Self, William, Committee Member
Teter, Kenneth, Committee Member
University of Central Florida, Degree Grantor
Type of Resource: text
Date Issued: 2011
Publisher: University of Central Florida
Language(s): English
Abstract/Description: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a debilitating neurodegenerative disorder affecting one million Americans. Despite its social and economic impact, the pathological cascades that lead to neuron dysfunction and degeneration in PD are poorly understood. Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress has been implicated as an initiator or contributing factor in neurodegenerative diseases including PD. The ER is an organelle central to protein folding and intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis. Perturbations of these functions result in ER stress and upregulation of ER stress proteins, of which some have been implicated in counteracting ER stress-induced cell death. The mechanisms that lead to ER stress and how ER stress proteins contribute to the degenerative cascades remain unclear but their understanding is critical to devising effective therapies for PD. Both the accumulation of mutant a-synuclein (aSyn), which causes an inherited form of PD, and the inhibition of mitochondrial complex I function by PD-inducing neurotoxin lead to ER stress. The critical involvement of ER stress in experimental models of PD supports its potential relevance to PD pathogenesis and led us to test the hypothesis whether the homocysteine-inducible ER protein (Herp), an ubiquitin-like domain (UBD) containing ER-resident protein, can counteract mutant Alpha Syn- and neurotoxin- induced pathological cascades.
Identifier: CFE0004470 (IID), ucf:49310 (fedora)
Note(s): 2011-12-01
Ph.D.
Medicine, Molecular Biology and Microbiology
Doctoral
This record was generated from author submitted information.
Subject(s): Parkinson's disease -- ER stress -- Alpha-Synuclein -- Herp -- ER Calcium -- MPTP -- Stroke -- Ischemia reperfusion -- DJ-1 -- Aggregation
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004470
Restrictions on Access: campus 2013-06-15
Host Institution: UCF

In Collections