Brain clearance of protein aggregates: a close-up on astrocytes.

ABSTRACT: Protein misfolding and accumulation defines a prevailing feature of many neurodegenerative disorders, finally resulting in the formation of toxic intra- and extracellular aggregates. Intracellular aggregates can enter the extracellular space and be subsequently transferred among different cell types, thus spreading between connected brain districts.Although microglia perform a predominant role in the removal of extracellular aggregated proteins, mounting evidence suggests that astrocytes actively contribute to the clearing process. However, the molecular mechanisms used by astrocytes to remove misfolded proteins are still largely unknown.Here we first provide a brief overview of the progressive transition from soluble monomers to insoluble fibrils that characterizes amyloid proteins, refer

SUBMITTER: Giusti V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10790381 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature