title: SUMOylation: Novel Neuroprotective Approach for Alzheimer's Disease?
abstract: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized in the brain by the formation of amyloid-beta (Aβ)-containing plaques and neurofibrillary tangles containing the microtubule-associated protein tau. Neuroinflammation is another feature of AD and astrocytes are receiving increasing attention as key contributors. Although some progress has been made, the molecular mechanisms underlying the pathophysiology of AD remain unclear. Interestingly, some of the main proteins involved in AD, including amyloid precursor protein (APP) and tau, have recently been shown to be SUMOylated. The post-translational modification by SUMO (small ubiquitin-like modifier) has been shown to regulate APP and tau and may modulate other proteins implicated in AD. Here we present an overview of recent studies suggesting that protein SUMOylation might be involved in the underlying pathogenic mechanisms of AD and discuss how this could be exploited for therapeutic intervention.
authors.affiliation: 1 Laboratory of Neuroprotection and Cell Signaling, Department of Biochemistry, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, 90035-003, Brazil.
authors.forename: Juliana B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Hoppe
authors.affiliation: 1 Laboratory of Neuroprotection and Cell Signaling, Department of Biochemistry, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, 90035-003, Brazil.
authors.forename: Christianne G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Salbego
authors.affiliation: 2 Reading School of Pharmacy, University of Reading, Reading, RG6 6UB, UK.
authors.forename: Helena
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Cimarosti
keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; SUMO; SUMOylation; neuroinflammation; post-translational protein modification