P ROTOFIBRILS , P ORES , F IBRILS, AND N EURODEGENERATION : Separating the Responsible Protein Aggregates from The Innocent Bystanders
Abstract
Many neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's and the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (prion diseases), are characterized at autopsy by neuronal loss and protein aggregates that are typically fibrillar. A convergence of evidence strongly suggests that protein aggregation is neurotoxic and not a product of cell death. However, the identity of the neurotoxic aggregate and the mechanism by which it disables and eventually kills a neuron are unknown. Both biophysical studies aimed at elucidating the precise mechanism of in vitro aggregation and animal modeling studies support the emerging notion that an ordered prefibrillar oligomer, or protofibril, may be responsible for cell death and that the fibrillar form that is typically observed at autopsy may actually be neuroprotective. A subpopulation of protofibrils may function as pathogenic amyloid pores. An analogous mechanism may explain the neurotoxicity of the prion protein; recent data demonstrates that the disease-associated, infectious form of the prion protein differs from the neurotoxic species. This review focuses on recent experimental studies aimed at identification and characterization of the neurotoxic protein aggregates.
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In vitro, Aβ42 aggregates into amyloid much more rapidly than Aβ40.
“In vitro, A42 aggregates into amyloid much more rapidly than A40 (Caughey and Lansbury, 2003).”
From Aβ40 Inhibits Amyloid Deposition<i>In Vivo</i> (2007) · cites this paper as Caughey and Lansbury, 2003
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- Authors
- Caughey, B., & Lansbury, P. T.
- Affiliations
- Brigham and Women's Hospital (US)
- Venue
- Annual Review of Neuroscience
- Publisher
- Annual Reviews
- Published
- 2003-03
- Volume
- 26
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 267-298
- ISSN
- 0147-006X (ISSN-L)
- 1545-4126
- OpenAlex
- W2097965815
- Cited by
- 1,650
- References
- 13
- Citations by year
- 2026: 19 · 2025: 17 · 2024: 26 · 2023: 35 · 2022: 33 · 2021: 47 · 2020: 51 · 2019: 45 · 2018: 58 · 2017: 49 · 2016: 66 · 2015: 71 · 2014: 73 · 2013: 89 · 2012: 109
- FWCI
- 12.76
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Annual Review of Neuroscience (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Alzheimer's disease research and treatments
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Prion Diseases and Protein Misfolding
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Neurology › Parkinson's Disease Mechanisms and Treatments
- Keywords
- protein aggregation, neurodegeneration, protofibrils, prefibrillar oligomers, neurotoxicity, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, prion disease, prion protein, amyloid fibrils, neuronal cell death
- MeSH terms
- Superoxide Dismutase-1, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Animals, Disease Models, Animal, Humans, Nerve Degeneration, Nerve Tissue Proteins, Prions, Superoxide Dismutase, Amyloid beta-Peptides, Neurofibrillary Tangles, PrPSc Proteins, Neurodegenerative Diseases, Synucleins, Plaque, Amyloid, In Vitro Techniques
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