Yoshitaka Nagai

Many neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer, Parkinson, and polyglutamine (polyQ) diseases are thought to be caused by protein misfolding. The polyQ diseases, including Huntington disease and spinocerebellar ataxias (SCAs), are caused by abnormal expansions of the polyQ stretch in disease-causing proteins, which trigger misfolding of these proteins, resulting in their deposition as inclusion bodies in affected neurons. Although genetic expression of molecular chaperones has been shown to

Proteins with expanded polyglutamine domains cause eight inherited neurodegenerative diseases, including Huntington's, but the molecular mechanism(s) responsible for neuronal degeneration are not yet established. Expanded polyglutamine domain proteins possess properties that distinguish them from the same proteins with shorter glutamine repeats. Unlike proteins with short polyglutamine domains, proteins with expanded polyglutamine domains display unique protein interactions, form intracellular a

We investigated the dopamine receptor (DAR) mRNA expression in peripheral blood lymphocytes from 45 patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and 21 age-matched controls using the quantitative reverse transcription and polymerase chain reaction method. Beta-actin mRNA was used as an internal control to evaluate the relative expression level of the DAR mRNA. There was a statistically significant decrease of the D3 dopamine receptor (D3R) mRNA expression in PD patients compared with that in controls.

Polyglutamine (polyQ) diseases are a growing class of inherited neurodegenerative diseases including Huntington's disease, which are caused by abnormal expansions of the polyQ stretch in each unrelated disease protein. The expanded polyQ stretch is thought to confer toxic properties on the disease proteins through alteration of their conformation leading to pathogenic protein-protein interactions including oligomerization and/or aggregation. Hypothesizing that molecules with selective binding af

Amphipathic compounds containing N-acetylneuraminic acid (sialic acid) [for example, D-N-acetylneuraminyl-(alpha 2-1)-2S,3R,4E-2-N-tetracosanoyl sphingenine, sialyl alkyl glycerol ethers, and sialyl cholesterols] induced neuritogenesis in a neuroblastoma cell line (Neuro2a). The sialic acid in the hydrophilic moiety of the compounds is specifically required for neuritogenesis. The requirement for molecular specificity of the hydrophobic moiety, however, is rather low. Regarding the hydrophobic m

Sleep disturbance is a common symptom in patients with various neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), and it can manifest in the early stages of the disease. Impaired sleep in patients with AD has been attributed to AD pathology that affects brain regions regulating the sleep⁻wake or circadian rhythm. However, recent epidemiological and experimental studies have demonstrated an association between impaired sleep and an increased risk of AD. These studies have led to the

Abnormal aggregation of misfolded proteins and their deposition as inclusion bodies in the brain have been implicated as a common molecular pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer, Parkinson, and the polyglutamine (poly(Q)) diseases, which are collectively called the conformational diseases. The poly(Q) diseases, including Huntington disease and various types of spinocerebellar ataxia, are caused by abnormal expansions of the poly(Q) stretch within disease-causing proteins

Heat shock transcription factor 1 (HSF1) mediates the induction of heat shock proteins in response to various types of stress. Although HSF1 activity is regulated by its post-translational modifications, alterations in mRNA expression have also been suggested. We here identified three new alternatively spliced isoforms of Drosophila HSF (dHSF) mRNA, named dHSFb, dHSFc, and dHSFd. We found that the ratio of dHSFb increases upon heat exposure, while that of dHSFd increases upon cold exposure. The

Protein misfolding and aggregation in the brain have been implicated as a common molecular pathogenesis of various neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and the polyglutamine (polyQ) diseases. The polyQ diseases are a group of nine hereditary neurodegenerative diseases, including Huntington's disease (HD) and various types of spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA), which are caused by abnormal expansions of the polyQ stretch (> 35-40