Neurodegeneration and Cancer: Where the Disorder Prevails.
It has been reported that genes up-regulated in cancer are often down-regulated in neurodegenerative disorders and vice versa. The fact that apparently unrelated diseases share functional pathways suggests a link between their etiopathogenesis and the properties of molecules involved. Are there specific features that explain the exclusive association of proteins with either cancer or neurodegeneration? We performed a large-scale analysis of physico-chemical properties to understand what characteristics differentiate classes of diseases. We found that structural disorder significantly distinguishes proteins up-regulated in neurodegenerative diseases from those linked to cancer. We also observed high correlation between structural disorder and age of onset in Frontotemporal Dementia, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases, which strongly supports the role of protein unfolding in neurodegenerative processes.
Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Dr Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain.|Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), 08003 Barcelona, Spain.
Petr
P
Klus
Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Dr Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain.|Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), 08003 Barcelona, Spain.
Davide
D
Cirillo
Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Dr Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain.|Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), 08003 Barcelona, Spain.
Teresa
T
Botta Orfila
Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Dr Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain.|Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), 08003 Barcelona, Spain.|Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), 23 Passeig Lluís Companys, 08010 Barcelona, Spain.
Gian
G
Gaetano Tartaglia
D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications*; D019636:Neurodegenerative Diseases / Q000150:complications*