12/23/2023 0 Comments Role of chaperone proteins![]() ![]() Bukau and postdoc Dr Anne Wentink shows the effects the Hsp70 chaperones have on the Parkinson-specific amyloid fibrils of the α-synuclein protein. Hsp70 chaperones help other proteins with folding and can even isolate and refold aggregated proteins. In earlier work, he and his team succeeded in identifying a cellular activity that plays a vital role in dissolving fibrillar aggregates, which is based on chaperones of the Hsp70 family. Bukau's research focuses on how these protein aggregates can be dissolved. Bukau, a researcher at the Center for Molecular Biology of Heidelberg University (ZMBH) and the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ). The fibrils, in turn, are the starting point for even larger deposits." The formation process of such fibrillar aggregates can damage cells and even lead to cell death, as is the case in neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's," explains Prof. This happens with α-synuclein in Parkinson's disease, for example. There is a risk that damaged proteins will "aggregate" or clump together into longer strands, the amyloid fibrils. This state of correct folding is constantly threatened by external and internal influences that can lead to incorrectly folded and hence damaged proteins. The chains of amino acid building blocks assume specific three-dimensional structures that give proteins their functionality. Proteins in all cells - from bacteria to human - need to fold to their native state. The results were published in two articles in the journal Nature. ![]() Dr Bernd Bukau expects their research results to provide new insights into how Parkinson's disease develops and what might be done to influence it. Molecular biologists from Heidelberg University and the German Cancer Research Center investigated how the Hsp70 system disaggregates amyloid fibrils of the Parkinson-specific protein α-synuclein in a test tube. protein folding helpers, of the heat shock protein 70 family (Hsp70). This defence mechanism is based on the activity of molecular chaperones, i.e. Yet there exists a cellular defence mechanism that counteracts these aggregates, known as amyloid fibrils, and can even dissolve fibrils already formed. In many neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's, protein aggregates form in the brain and are assumed to contribute to neuronal cell death. view moreĬredit: Bernd Bukau / Heidelberg University This cooperation ensures recognition of the fibrils, followed by the correct assembly of the Hsp70 disaggregase machinery on the fibril surface thereby allowing for productive disaggregation. Image: Disaggregation of α-synuclein amyloid fibrils relies on the cooperation of the HSP70 chaperone with its co-chaperones DNAJB1 and HSP110. ![]()
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