Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0002736 (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis)
 19,048 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

One of the common features of damaged neurons in many neurodegenerative diseases is the presence of abnormal aggregates of the disease-related proteins. In amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) of both sporadic and familial forms, protein aggregates are found in the affected spinal cords. In familial ALS with mutations in copper-zinc superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1), the propensity of SOD1 for aggregation is known to increase with the mutation. In the present study, we examined whether the aggregate-prone SOD1 mutants induce endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and the inhibition of the ER stress protects the cells. The ALS-related mutant G85R SOD1 and G93A SOD1 formed visible aggregates and caused cell death possibly by apoptosis when over-expressed in neuro2a cells. Interestingly, the rate of the mutant SOD1-induced cell death was greater than that of the visible aggregate formation. Expression of the mutant SOD1 caused signs of both early and late ER stress responses, namely, RNA-dependent protein kinase-like ER kinase and eukaryotic initiation factor alpha phosphorylation, Jun amino-terminal kinase activation, activating transcription factor 6-translocation, X-box binding protein 1 mRNA splicing, and caspase 12 activation. The X-box binding protein 1 mRNA splicing activation was also detected in the mutant SOD1-expressing cells even without the visible aggregates. The cell death induced by the mutant SOD1 over-expression looked like apoptosis as evidenced by nuclear morphology and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate (dUTP) nick end labeling. Importantly, an ER stress inhibitor, salubrinal delayed the formation of insoluble aggregates of the mutant SOD1 and suppressed the mutant-induced cell death. In addition, over-expression of the ER-targeted Bcl-xL protected the cells from the mutant SOD1-induced cytotoxicity. These results suggest that the misfolding of ALS-related mutant SOD1 induces ER stress possibly prior to the formation of visible aggregates, which may contribute to the motor neuron degeneration in ALS pathogenesis.
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PMID:Superoxide dismutase 1 mutants related to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis induce endoplasmic stress in neuro2a cells. 1823 96

To better understand the interaction between motor neuron dysfunction and denervation in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), we have evaluated motor neuron number and the retrograde uptake and transport of fluorogold by motor neurons in mice overexpressing mutant superoxide dismutase (mSOD), and wild-type controls. N-CAM immunoreactivity and protein kinase expression were determined in skeletal muscle during denervation. We found that in severely affected mSOD mice, motor neuron loss is moderate (approximate 40% reduction), whereas retrograde uptake/transport as assessed using fluorogold is profoundly impaired (approximately 90% reduction). The impairment in fluorogold uptake/transport corresponds to measures of progressive muscle denervation such as increased N-CAM immunoreactivity of muscle and increased expression of protein kinase B (PKB) in denervated muscle. These data suggest that the debility in the mSOD mouse model of ALS is produced, in part, by impaired retrograde uptake/transport in motor neuron axons in spite of regenerative support from muscle such as elevated expression of PKB.
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PMID:Neuromuscular dysfunction in the mutant superoxide dismutase mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. 1827 16

Lithium and valproic acid (VPA) are two primary drugs used to treat bipolar disorder, and have been shown to have neuroprotective properties in vivo and in vitro. A recent study demonstrated that combined treatment with lithium and VPA elicits synergistic neuroprotective effects against glutamate excitotoxicity in cultured brain neurons, and the synergy involves potentiated inhibition of glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) activity through enhanced GSK-3 serine phosphorylation [Leng Y, Liang MH, Ren M, Marinova Z, Leeds P, Chuang DM (2008) Synergistic neuroprotective effects of lithium and valproic acid or other histone deacetylase inhibitors in neurons: roles of glycogen synthase kinase-3 inhibition. J Neurosci 28:2576-2588]. We therefore investigated the effects of lithium and VPA cotreatment on the disease symptom onset, survival time and neurological deficits in cooper zinc superoxide dismutase (SOD1) G93A mutant mice, a commonly used mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The G93A ALS mice received twice daily i.p. injections with LiCl (60 mg/kg), VPA (300 mg/kg) or lithium plus VPA, starting from the 30(th) day after birth and continuing until death. We found that combined treatment with lithium and VPA produced a greater and more consistent effect in delaying the onset of disease symptoms, prolonging the lifespan and decreasing the neurological deficit scores, compared with the results of monotreatment with lithium or VPA. Moreover, lithium in conjunction with VPA was more effective than lithium or VPA alone in enhancing the immunostaining of phospho-GSK-3beta(Ser9) in brain and lumbar spinal cord sections. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of enhanced neuroprotection by a combinatorial approach using mood stabilizers in a mouse ALS model. Our results suggest that clinical trials using lithium and VPA in combination for ALS patients are a rational strategy.
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PMID:Combined lithium and valproate treatment delays disease onset, reduces neurological deficits and prolongs survival in an amyotrophic lateral sclerosis mouse model. 1864 Feb 45

Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) has been shown to be neurotrophic or neuroprotective in various neurons in culture. It is expressed in spinal motoneurons in vivo and its expression is increased markedly after axotomy, suggesting a neuroprotective role via an autocrine mechanism. However, neurotrophic activity of PACAP has not been reported for motoneurons. In the present study, we investigated the effects of PACAP on rat motoneurons in culture. In the presence of a phosphodiesterase inhibitor, PACAP showed significant neurotrophic activity at concentrations as low as 0.01 nM. Previously, we found that glutamate was excitotoxic to motoneurons even in the presence of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, which is neurotrophic for motoneurons. PACAP with a phosphodiesterase inhibitor protected motoneurons against this excitotoxicity. The activity of PACAP was inhibited by the protein kinase A inhibitor N-[2-(p-bromocinnamylamino) ethyl]-5-isoquinolinesulfonamide dihydrochloride, as was the case with the activity of forskolin, suggesting downstream involvement of a cAMP-protein kinase A signaling pathway. The present results may suggest a physiological role of PACAP in vivo, and implicate the PACAP-cAMP signaling pathway for the possible therapeutic target of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis as glutamate excitotoxicity was suggested in sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
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PMID:Survival-promoting activity of pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide in the presence of phosphodiesterase inhibitors on rat motoneurons in culture: cAMP-protein kinase A-mediated survival. 1871 11

Alterations in cell cycle progression seem to be associated with neuronal death in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). We previously reported disturbances in the control of cell survival/death fate in immortalized lymphocytes from AD patients. These cell cycle dysfunction and impaired apoptosis were considered systemic manifestations of AD disease. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether these abnormalities are characteristic of AD, or they may be seen in other neurodegenerative disorders such ALS. Our results indicate that alterations in signaling molecules, Akt and ERK1/2, and in the cyclin-dependent kinase complex inhibitors (CDKis) p21(Cip1) and p27(Kip1) are detectable in lymphoblasts from AD patients, but not in ALS patients, suggesting that these variables may be considered for the development of biomarkers of AD. However, lymphocytes from ALS patients do not represent a useful model to study cell cycle-related events associated with neurodegeneration of motoneurons.
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PMID:Distinct regulation of cell cycle and survival in lymphocytes from patients with Alzheimer's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. 1915 36

In most neurodegenerative disorders, distinctive intracellular inclusion bodies are found in degenerative neurons, which are known to be neuropathological hallmarks of diseases. Recently, TAR DNA-binding protein of 43 KDa (TDP-43) has been identified as a major constituent protein of ubiquitin-positive inclusions in brains with frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). These disorders are now referred to as TDP-43 proteinopathy. TDP-43 deposited in brains with FTLD and ALS was found to be phosphorylated and ubiquitinated. To study the role of these posttranslational modifications in the formation of TDP-43 aggregates, we have produced polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies specific for TDP-43 phosphorylated at Ser409 and Ser 410. These antibodies specifically recognized abnormally phosphorylated TDP-43, but not normal TDP-43 in immunohistochemical analyses of brains of FTLD and ALS patients. Immunoblot analyses using these antibodies showed that phosphorylated and fragmented TDP-43 was deposited in diseased brains. Furthermore, we identified casein kinase 1 as a candidate protein kinase, which was responsible for abnormal phosphorylation of TDP-43. Phosphorylated recombinant TDP-43 proteins were demonstrated to be easier to fibrillate than wild-type TDP-43 in vitro. Recent discoveries of the missense mutations in the TDP-43 gene in familial or sporadic ALS cases prove a direct link between altered TDP-43 function and neurodegeneration. Elucidating the biochemical processes responsible for phosphorylation, fragmentation, and intracellular aggregation of TDP-43 may provide important insights into the pathogenesis of TDP-43 proteinopathy.
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PMID:[Neurodegenerative disorders and TDP-43]. 1923 66

TAR DNA-binding protein of 43 kDa (TDP-43) is deposited as hyperphosphorylated cytoplasmic and intranuclear inclusions in brains of patients with frontotemporal lobar degeneration with ubiquitinated inclusions and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. In this study, we identified 29 phosphorylation sites on recombinant TDP-43 that are phosphorylated by casein kinase-1 (CK1). Interestingly, 18 of them were located in the C-terminal glycine-rich region of TDP-43. Our results indicate that CK1-mediated phosphorylation may play a role in the pathogenesis of these diseases.
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PMID:Identification of casein kinase-1 phosphorylation sites on TDP-43. 1928 63

Metallothionein (MT) belongs to a family of metal-binding cysteine-rich proteins comprising several structurally related proteins implicated in tissue protection and regeneration after injuries and functioning as antiapoptotic antioxidants in neurological disorders. This has been demonstrated in animals receiving MT treatment and in mice with endogenous MT overexpression or null mutation during various experimental models of neuropathology, and also in patients with Alzheimer's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Exogenously applied MT increases neurite outgrowth and neuronal survival in rat cerebellar, hippocampal, dopaminergic, and cortical neurons in vitro. In this study, the intraneuronal signaling involved in MT-mediated neuritogenesis was examined. The MT-induced neurite outgrowth in cultures of cerebellar granule neurons was dependent on activation of a heterotrimeric G-protein-coupled pathway but not on protein tyrosine kinases or on receptor tyrosine kinases. Activation of phospholipase C was necessary for MT-induced neurite outgrowth, and furthermore it was shown that inhibition of several intracellular protein kinases, such as protein kinase A, protein kinase C, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, Ca(2+)/calmodulin kinase-II, and mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase, abrogated the MT-mediated neuritogenic response. In addition, exogenously applied MT resulted in a decrease in phosphorylation of intraneuronal kinases implicated in proinflammatory reactions and apoptotic cell death, such as glycogen synthase-serine kinase 3alpha, Jun, and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3. This paper elucidates the intraneuronal molecular signaling involved in neuroprotective effects of MT.
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PMID:Intraneuronal signaling pathways of metallothionein. 1940

TDP-43 is a nuclear protein involved in exon skipping and alternative splicing. Recently, TDP-43 has been identified as the pathological signature protein in frontotemporal lobar degeneration with ubiquitin-positive inclusions and in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. In addition, TDP-43-positive inclusions are present in Parkinson disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, and 30% of Alzheimer disease cases. Pathological TDP-43 is redistributed from the nucleus to the cytoplasm, where it accumulates. An approximately 25-kDa C-terminal fragment of TDP-43 accumulates in affected brain regions, suggesting that it may be involved in the disease pathogenesis. Here, we show that overexpression of the 25-kDa C-terminal fragment is sufficient to cause the mislocalization and cytoplasmic accumulation of endogenous full-length TDP-43 in two different cell lines, thus recapitulating a key biochemical characteristic of TDP-43 proteinopathies. We also found that TDP-43 mislocalization is associated with a reduction in the low molecular mass neurofilament mRNA levels. Notably, we show that the autophagic system plays a role in TDP-43 metabolism. Specifically, we found that autophagy inhibition increases the accumulation of the C-terminal fragments of TDP-43, whereas inhibition of mTOR, a key protein kinase involved in autophagy regulation, reduces the 25-kDa C-terminal fragment accumulation and restores TDP-43 localization. Our results suggest that autophagy induction may be a valid therapeutic target for TDP-43 proteinopathies.
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PMID:Rapamycin rescues TDP-43 mislocalization and the associated low molecular mass neurofilament instability. 1965 85

In normal neurons, neurofilament (NF) proteins are phosphorylated in the axonal compartment. However, in neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), NF proteins are aberrantly hyperphosphorylated within the cell bodies. The aberrant hyperphosphorylation of NF accumulations found in neurodegeneration could be attributable to either deregulation of proline-directed Ser/Thr kinase(s) activity or downregulation of protein phosphatase(s) activity. In this study, we found that protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) expression is high in neuronal cell bodies and that inhibition of PP2A activity by okadaic acid (OA), microcystin LR (mLR), or fostriecin (Fos) leads to perikaryal hyperphosphorylation of NF. Peptidyl-prolyl isomerase Pin1 inhibits the dephosphorylation of NF by PP2A in vitro. In cortical neurons, Pin1 modulates the topographic phosphorylation of the proline-directed Ser/Thr residues within the tail domain of NF proteins by inhibiting the dephosphorylation by PP2A. Inhibition of Pin1 inhibits OA-induced aberrant perikaryal phosphorylation of NF. Treatment of cortical neurons with OA or Fos prevents the general anterograde transport of transfected green fluorescent protein-high-molecular-mass (NF-H) into axons caused by hyperphosphorylation of NF-H, and inhibition of Pin1 rescues this effect. Furthermore, inhibition of Pin1 inhibits the OA- or Fos-induced neuronal apoptosis. We show that OA-induced hyperphosphorylation of NF is a consequence of dephosphorylation of NF and is independent of c-Jun N-terminal protein kinase, extracellular signal-regulated kinase, and cyclin-dependent kinase-5 pathways. This study highlights a novel signaling role of PP2A by Pin1 and implicates Pin1 as a therapeutic target to reduce aberrant phosphorylation of NF proteins in neurodegenerative disorders such as AD, PD, and ALS.
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PMID:Peptidyl-prolyl isomerase 1 regulates protein phosphatase 2A-mediated topographic phosphorylation of neurofilament proteins. 1994 Jan 83


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