BioCentury
ARTICLE | Targets & Mechanisms

The polyQ diet

How polyQ tracts block autophagy in neurodegenerative diseases

May 4, 2017 10:49 PM UTC

Expanded polyglutamine repeats at the ends of disease-causing proteins are well known to promote formation of aggregates that drive various neurodegenerative disorders. A new study from the University of Cambridge shows those repeats have a second pathological role -- preventing elimination of the aggregates by blocking autophagy.

The results reinforce the emerging notion that boosting autophagy could be a general strategy for combating neurodegenerative diseases involving aggregated proteins. ...

BCIQ Target Profiles

Ataxin 3 (ATXN3)