title: Protein aggregation diseases: pathogenicity and therapeutic perspectives.
abstract: A growing number of diseases seem to be associated with inappropriate deposition of protein aggregates. Some of these diseases--such as Alzheimer's disease and systemic amyloidoses--have been recognized for a long time. However, it is now clear that ordered aggregation of pathogenic proteins does not only occur in the extracellular space, but in the cytoplasm and nucleus as well, indicating that many other diseases may also qualify as amyloidoses. The common structural and pathogenic features of these diverse protein aggregation diseases is only now being fully understood, and may provide novel opportunities for overarching therapeutic approaches such as depleting the monomeric precursor protein, inhibiting aggregation, enhancing aggregate clearance or blocking common aggregation-induced cellular toxicity pathways.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neuropathology, University Hospital of Zürich, Schmelzbergstrasse 12, CH8091 Zürich, Switzerland. adriano.aguzzi@usz.ch
authors.forename: Adriano
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aguzzi
authors.forename: Tracy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: O'Connor
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D000682:Amyloid / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism*; D053829:Amyloid Precursor Protein Secretases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D000686:Amyloidosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology; D000818:Animals; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D002493:Central Nervous System Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy / Q000379:methods; D010455:Peptides / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017096:Prion Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D000682:Amyloid; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D010455:Peptides; D053829:Amyloid Precursor Protein Secretases