Caenorhabditis elegans Models to Investigate the Mechanisms Underlying Tau Toxicity in Tauopathies.

ABSTRACT: The understanding of the genetic, biochemical, and structural determinants underlying tau aggregation is pivotal in the elucidation of the pathogenic process driving tauopathies and the design of effective therapies. Relevant information on the molecular basis of human neurodegeneration in vivo can be obtained using the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans). To this end, two main approaches can be applied: the overexpression of genes/proteins leading to neuronal dysfunction and death, and studies in which proteins prone to misfolding are exogenously administered to induce a neurotoxic phenotype. Thanks to the easy generation of transgenic strains expressing human disease genes, C. elegans allows the identification of genes and/or proteins specifically associated with pathology and t

SUBMITTER: Natale C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7697895 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature