A Rapid, Semi-Quantitative Assay to Screen for Modulators of Alpha-Synuclein Oligomerization Ex vivo

A Rapid, Semi-Quantitative Assay to Screen for Modulators of Alpha-Synuclein Oligomerization Ex vivo

Alpha synuclein (αsyn) aggregates are associated with the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease and others related disorders. Although modulation of αsyn aggregation is an attractive therapeutic target, new powerful methodologies are desperately needed to facilitate in vivo screening of novel therapeutics. Here, we describe an in vivo rodent model with the unique ability to rapidly track αsyn-αsy...

Microtubule Depolymerization Potentiates Alpha-Synuclein Oligomerization

Parkinson's disease (PD) is associated with perturbed mitochondria function and alpha-synuclein fibrillization. We evaluated potential mechanistic links between mitochondrial dysfunction and alpha-synuclein aggregation. We studied a PD cytoplasmic hybrid (cybrid) cell line in which platelet mitochondria from a PD subject were transferred to NT2 neuronal cells previously depleted of endogenous m...

Mitochondrial Dysfunction: The Road to Alpha-Synuclein Oligomerization in PD

While the etiology of Parkinson's disease remains largely elusive, there is accumulating evidence suggesting that mitochondrial dysfunction occurs prior to the onset of symptoms in Parkinson's disease. Mitochondria are remarkably primed to play a vital role in neuronal cell survival since they are key regulators of energy metabolism (as ATP producers), of intracellular calcium homeostasis, of N...

Alpha-synuclein structure, aggregation and modulators

Rapid, semi-quantitative assay of C-reactive protein evaluated.

We evaluated a new rapid semi-quantitative immunometric assay of C-reactive protein (CRP) as a screening test for sepsis by comparison with an automated nephelometric method. Plasma samples (n = 101) from preterm infants during the first week of life were saved for CRP analyses. We measured CRP by the Nycocard semiquantitative method and compared the results with those obtained with a Behring N...