Tag Archives: alzheimer

Mapping the interactome: Proteomics reveals the E-cadherin interaction network

Unlocking the complexity of cell adhesion Many biological processes depend on the ability of cells to stick to one another. The formation of multicellular organisms and precise embryonic development rely on this property, as does the maintenance of healthy tissue. Defects in the ability of cells to adhere to one another have been found in many diseases, such as cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and cardiovascular disease. In the case of cancer, ineffective cell adhesion allows tumour cells to detach and invade other tissues, thereby spreading cancer throughout the body. …

Pathway that contributes to Alzheimer’s disease revealed by research

Their study, in the online issue of Neuron, offers the potential that targeting this specific defect with drugs “may rejuvenate or rescue this pathway,” says the study’s lead investigator, Guojun Bu, Ph.D., a neuroscientist at Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Fla. “This defect is likely not the sole contributor to development of Alzheimer’s disease, but our findings suggest it is very important, and could be therapeutically targeted to possibly prevent Alzheimer’s or treat early disease,” he says. …

Brain development: Researchers identify key protein

A group of proteins, the histone deacetylases (HDACs), have been on the watch list of scientists worldwide for more than two decades. This attention is owed to their important function in epigenetics: histone deacetylases coordinate the transcription of genetic information and play an important role in the development of diseases such as cancer and neurodegenerative disorders. …

People with Alzheimer’s disease may have lower risk of cancer and vice versa

"Since the number of cases of both Alzheimer’s disease and cancer increase exponentially as people age, understanding the mechanisms behind this relationship may help us better develop new treatments for both diseases," said study author Massimo Musicco, MD, of the National Research Council of Italy in Milan. The study involved 204,468 people age 60 and older in northern Italy during a six-year period…