Issue 6, 2017

Cross talk between neurometals and amyloidogenic proteins at the synapse and the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases

Abstract

Increasing evidence suggests that disruption of metal homeostasis contributes to the pathogenesis of various neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, prion diseases, Lewy body diseases, and vascular dementia. Conformational changes of disease-related proteins (amyloidogenic proteins), such as β-amyloid protein, prion proteins, and α-synuclein, are well-established contributors to neurotoxicity and to the pathogenesis of these diseases. Recent studies have demonstrated that these amyloidogenic proteins are metalloproteins that bind trace elements, including zinc, iron, copper, and manganese, and play significant roles in the maintenance of metal homeostasis. We present a current review of the role of trace elements in the functions and toxicity of amyloidogenic proteins, and propose a hypothesis integrating metal homeostasis and the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases that is focused on the interactions among metals and between metals and amyloidogenic proteins at the synapse, considering that these amyloidogenic proteins and metals are co-localized at the synapse.

Graphical abstract: Cross talk between neurometals and amyloidogenic proteins at the synapse and the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases

Article information

Article type
Critical Review
Submitted
19 Feb 2017
Accepted
24 Apr 2017
First published
24 Apr 2017

Metallomics, 2017,9, 619-633

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