title: Transglutaminase activation in neurodegenerative diseases.
abstract: The following review examines the role of calcium in promoting the in vitro and in vivo activation of transglutaminases in neurodegenerative disorders. Diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and Huntington's disease exhibit increased transglutaminase activity and rises in intracellular calcium concentrations, which may be related. The aberrant activation of transglutaminase by calcium is thought to give rise to a variety of pathological moieties in these diseases, and the inhibition has been shown to have therapeutic benefit in animal and cellular models of neurodegeneration. Given the potential clinical relevance of transglutaminase inhibitors, we have also reviewed the recent development of such compounds.
authors.affiliation: Applied Bench Core, Winthrop University Hospital, 222 Station Plaza North, Suite 502, Mineola, NY 11501, USA Tel.: +1 516 663 3455 tjeitner@winthrop.org.
authors.forename: Thomas M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Jeitner
authors.forename: Nancy A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Muma
authors.forename: Kevin P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Battaile
authors.forename: Arthur Jl
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Cooper