Deconstructing Alzheimer’s Disease – role of mitochondria

Posted on 8. April 2009 by Vincent Giuliano

A step of progress was reported this week in developing better understanding of the molecular processes underlying Alzheimer’s Disease.  For some time it has been known that beta-amyloid protein shows up in excessive quantities in the brains of Alzheimer’s Disease patients and that this protein causes synaptic damage to neurons.  But the mechanism by which damage was inflicted was unknown.  In the new research it was observed that beta-amyloid protein multimers create excessive production of nitric oxide.  This free-radical substance was shown to attack a mitochondrial protein Drp1 in cultured nerve cells through a process known as S-nitrosylation.  This in turn led to activation of enzymatic activity that induces mitochondrial fragmentation. The reaction damages neuron synapses leading to nerve cell death and eventually to loss of brain function.  It is thought that one avenue of therapy for Alzheimer’s Disease that could come out of this understanding could be blockage of S-nitrosylation.  Or better yet, figure out how to prevent the buildup of beta-amyloid protein in the first place,

About Vincent Giuliano

Being a follower, connoisseur, and interpreter of longevity research is my latest career. I have been at this part-time for well over a decade, and in 2007 this became my mainline activity. In earlier reincarnations of my career. I was founding dean of a graduate school and a university professor at the State University of New York, a senior consultant working in a variety of fields at Arthur D. Little, Inc., Chief Scientist and C00 of Mirror Systems, a software company, and an international Internet consultant. I got off the ground with one of the earliest PhD's from Harvard in a field later to become known as computer science. In various ways I contributed to the Computer Revolution starting in the 1950s and the Internet Revolution starting in the late 1980s. I am now engaged in doing the same for The Longevity Revolution. I have published something like 200 books and papers as well as over 400 .entries in this blog, and have enjoyed various periods of notoriety. If you do a Google search on Vincent E. Giuliano, most if not all of the entries on the first few pages that come up will be ones relating to me. I have a general writings site at www.vincegiuliano.com and an extensive site of my art at www.giulianoart.com.
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One Response to Deconstructing Alzheimer’s Disease – role of mitochondria

  1. Pingback: Alzheimer’s Disease Update – March 2011 | AGING SCIENCES – Anti-Aging Firewalls

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