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Prion-like mechanisms in neurodegenerative diseases

Abstract

Many non-infectious neurodegenerative diseases are associated with the accumulation of fibrillar proteins. These diseases all exhibit features that are reminiscent of those of prionopathies, including phenotypic diversity and the propagation of pathology. Furthermore, emerging studies of amyloid-β, α-synuclein and tau — proteins implicated in common neurodegenerative diseases — suggest that they share key biophysical and biochemical characteristics with prions. Propagation of protein misfolding in these diseases may therefore occur through mechanisms similar to those that underlie prion pathogenesis. If this hypothesis is verified in vivo, it will suggest new therapeutic strategies to block propagation of protein misfolding throughout the brain.

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Figure 1: Potential mechanisms for trans-cellular propagation of protein misfolding.
Figure 2: New therapeutic approaches.

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Acknowledgements

B.F. gratefully acknowledges support from a training grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). M.I.D. gratefully acknowledges support from the Sandler Family Supporting Foundation, the Muscular Dystrophy Association and NINDS.

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Correspondence to Marc I. Diamond.

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Frost, B., Diamond, M. Prion-like mechanisms in neurodegenerative diseases. Nat Rev Neurosci 11, 155–159 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn2786

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