The Evaluation of Rac1 Signaling as a Potential Therapeutic Target of Alzheimer's Disease.

ABSTRACT: The Small GTPase Rac1 is critical for various fundamental cellular processes, including cognitive functions. The cyclical activation and inactivation of Rac1, mediated by Rac guanine nucleotide exchange factors (RacGEFs) and Rac GTPase-activating proteins (RacGAPs), respectively, are essential for activating intracellular signaling pathways and controlling cellular processes. We have recently shown that the Alzheimer's disease (AD) therapeutic drug donepezil activates the Rac1-PAK pathway in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) for enhanced aversive learning. Also, PAK activation itself in the NAc enhances aversive learning. As aversive learning allows short-term preliminary AD drug screening, here we tested whether sustained Rac1 activation by RacGAP inhibition can be used as an AD therapeutic str

SUBMITTER: Wang H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10418761 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature