Molecular insights into amyloid regulation by membrane cholesterol and sphingolipids: common mechanisms in neurodegenerative diseases.

ABSTRACT: Alzheimer, Parkinson and other neurodegenerative diseases involve a series of brain proteins, referred to as 'amyloidogenic proteins', with exceptional conformational plasticity and a high propensity for self-aggregation. Although the mechanisms by which amyloidogenic proteins kill neural cells are not fully understood, a common feature is the concentration of unstructured amyloidogenic monomers on bidimensional membrane lattices. Membrane-bound monomers undergo a series of lipid-dependent conformational changes, leading to the formation of oligomers of varying toxicity rich in beta-sheet structures (annular pores, amyloid fibrils) or in alpha-helix structures (transmembrane channels). Condensed membrane nano- or microdomains formed by sphingolipids and cholesterol are privileged sites for

SUBMITTER: Fantini J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2931503 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature