title: Anti-ALS activity of alsin, the product of the ALS2 gene, and activity-dependent neurotrophic factor.
abstract: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is an incurable degenerative motoneuronal disease. The complete suppression of motoneuronal death is the ultimate goal of ALS therapy. Two new prosurvival pathways have been recently demonstrated to antagonize neurotoxicity by familial ALS-linked mutant Cu/Zn-superoxide dismutase (FSOD1). Alsin, the product of the recently cloned ALS-causative gene, the ALS2 gene, is linked to a Rac1/phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase/Akt3 pathway that specifically suppresses motoneuronal death induced by FSOD1. Activity-dependent neurotrophic factor, originally identified as an anti-Alzheimer neurotrophic factor, has been shown to suppress motoneuronal death by FSOD1 through a prosurvival pathway mediated by Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase IV. Activation of these novel anti-ALS pathways may serve as a promising way to suppress ALS-related motoneuronal cell death.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan. sakimatu@sc.itc.keio.ac.jp
authors.forename: Masaaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Matsuoka
authors.forename: Ikuo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Nishimoto
mesh_terms: D000690:Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D016923:Cell Death / Q000502:physiology; D020662:Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D009154:Mutation; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D000072105:Superoxide Dismutase-1
chemical_list: C438187:ALS2 protein, human; D020662:Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; C000606290:SOD1 protein, human; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase; D000072105:Superoxide Dismutase-1