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Review
. 2021 Apr 16;22(8):4128.
doi: 10.3390/ijms22084128.

The Diagnostic Potential of Amyloidogenic Proteins

Yiyun Jin  1 , Devkee Mahesh Vadukul  1 , Dimitra Gialama  1 , Ying Ge  1 , Rebecca Thrush  1 , Joe Thomas White  1 , Francesco Antonio Aprile  1
Affiliations
Review

The Diagnostic Potential of Amyloidogenic Proteins

Yiyun Jin et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Neurodegenerative disorders are a highly prevalent class of diseases, whose pathological mechanisms start before the appearance of any clear symptoms. This fact has prompted scientists to search for biomarkers that could aid early treatment. These currently incurable pathologies share the presence of aberrant aggregates called amyloids in the nervous system, which are composed of specific proteins. In this review, we discuss how these proteins, their conformations and modifications could be exploited as biomarkers for diagnostic purposes. We focus on proteins that are associated with the most prevalent neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and frontotemporal dementia. We also describe current challenges in detection, the most recent techniques with diagnostic potentials and possible future developments in diagnosis.

Keywords: amyloid; biomarker; neurodegenerative diseases; oligomer; post-translational modification.

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Conflict of interest statement

F.A.A. is an inventor of patent PCT/GB2020/051965.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic representation of amyloid aggregation. In normal conditions, proteins are newly synthesized on ribosomes and released to play biological functions. In stress conditions or as a consequence of pathological post-translational modifications (PTMs), these proteins can assemble into small soluble oligomers and ultimately form insoluble amyloid fibrils. PTMs may occur at any state of this process, affecting the formation, stability and toxicity of these aggregates.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Aggregated protein species and representative probes used for their detection.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Detection of amyloidogenic proteins at different stages of protein aggregation. Main representative strategies and techniques are shown.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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