Protein aggregation and therapeutic strategies in SOD1- and TDP-43- linked ALS

Autor: Maria Tsekrekou, Maria Giannakou, Katerina Papanikolopoulou, Georgios Skretas
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2024
Předmět:
Zdroj: Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences, Vol 11 (2024)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2296-889X
DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2024.1383453
Popis: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease with severe socio-economic impact. A hallmark of ALS pathology is the presence of aberrant cytoplasmic inclusions composed of misfolded and aggregated proteins, including both wild-type and mutant forms. This review highlights the critical role of misfolded protein species in ALS pathogenesis, particularly focusing on Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD1) and TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43), and emphasizes the urgent need for innovative therapeutic strategies targeting these misfolded proteins directly. Despite significant advancements in understanding ALS mechanisms, the disease remains incurable, with current treatments offering limited clinical benefits. Through a comprehensive analysis, the review focuses on the direct modulation of the misfolded proteins and presents recent discoveries in small molecules and peptides that inhibit SOD1 and TDP-43 aggregation, underscoring their potential as effective treatments to modify disease progression and improve clinical outcomes.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals