title: Arginine deiminases: therapeutic tools in the etiology and pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease.
abstract: There is, at present, no definitive pre-mortem diagnostic tool for Alzheimer's disease, (AD) which relates to a poor understanding of its etiology. Brains of AD patients contain large amounts of the toxic plaque-forming beta-amyloid1-42 fragment in addition to elevated concentrations of the amino acid L-arginine. This work proposes that lowering levels of arginine in the astrocytes surrounding amyloid plaques may serve as a therapeutic tool in this neurodegenerative disorder. Arginine deiminase (ADI), from Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and peptidylarginine deiminase [PAD II], from bovine brain, are inhibited by amyloid peptides that contain arginine (amyloid1-42) and those that have no arginine (amyloid12-28/22-35). Enhanced activity of PAD II is noted with free L-arginine.
authors: Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Biotechnology Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa.
authors: Cassandra
authors: C
authors: Louw
authors: Alon
authors: A
authors: Gordon
authors: Nicolette
authors: N
authors: Johnston
authors: Carolyn
authors: C
authors: Mollatt
authors: Graeme
authors: G
authors: Bradley
authors: Chris G
authors: CG
authors: Whiteley
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000201:enzymology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides / Q000737:chemistry; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D006801:Humans; D006867:Hydrolases / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data
chemical_list: D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides; D006867:Hydrolases; C019723:arginine deiminase