Folding for the Synapse

by Wyttenback, Andreas; O'Connor, Vincent

• ISBN13: 9781441970602
• ISBN10: 1441970606
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2010-10-31
• Publisher: Springer Verlag

Summary

Folding for the Synapse addresses the current view on how protein folding and misfolding, controlled by molecular chaperones, contribute to synapse function and dysfunction. Molecular chaperones have been studied in relation to de novo protein folding, but there is increasing awareness that chaperone function is required for the regulation of protein dynamics when functioning physiologically as an isolated moiety or part of a protein complex. This book will introduce both important concepts of folding machineries and give examples of the biological relevance of further chaperone functions.

Author Biography

Dr. Andreas Wyttenbach holds a lectureship in Neuroscience at the University of Southampton (UK). After graduating in Biology at the University of Based (Switzerland) he completed a PhD in Genetics and Evolution (University of Lausanne, Switzerland). During his postdoctoral research in the Departments of Medical Genetics and Biochemistry at Cambridge University (UK), he became inspired by the question of how protein misfolding in the CNS causes neuronal death, associated with neurological diseases. His current research concentrates on understanding how protein aggregation damages cells, with the motivation to provide a basis for therapeutic approaches that could prevent neurodegeneration. Dr. Vincent O'Connor holds a readership at the University of Southampton. After, his undergraduate studies in Physiology and Biochemistry at Reading University (UK), he trained at University College London (UK), graduating with a PhD in Neurochemistry. His postdoctoral time was spent at the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research (Frankfurt, Germany) and the National Institute for Medical Research (London, UK) investigating mechanisms of neurotransmitter release and synaptic plasticity. His current efforts focus on translating the knowledge of basic synaptic mechanisms into understanding CNS disease processes.

Table of Contents

Folding for the Synapse	p. 1
The Regulation of Protein (mis)folding, Aggregation and Degradation of Proteins by Molecular Chaperones
Protein Aggregation: Opposing Effects of Chaperones and Crowding	p. 9
Molecular Chaperones as Facilitators of Protein Degradation	p. 35
The Small Heat-Shock Proteins: Cellular Functions and Mutations Causing Neurodegeneration	p. 49
The Making of the Synapse: Transport of Proteins, Vesicles and Organelles
Keeping it Together. Axonal Transport to the Synapse and the Effects of Molecular Chaperones in Health and Disease	p. 81
Mechanisms of Neuronal Mitochondrial Transport	p. 105
Chaperone Modalities and Homeostatic Mechanisms in the Synaptic Compartment
Molecular Chaperones in the Mammalian Brain: Regional Distribution, Cellular Compartmentalization and Synaptic Interactions	p. 123
Cysteine-String Protein's Role at Synapses	p. 145
The Role of Protein SUMOylation in Neuronal Function	p. 177
The Ubiquitin-Proteasome System in Synapses	p. 201
Chronic Neurodegeneration Associated with Protein Misfolding and Synaptic Dysfunction
VAPB Aggregates and Neurodegeneration	p. 215
Synaptic Dysfunction in Huntington's Disease	p. 233
Synaptic Dysfunction in Parkinson's Disease: From Protein Misfolding to Functional Alterations	p. 257
Synapses and Alzheimers's Disease: Effect of Immunotherapy?	p. 269
Prion Protein Misfolding at the Synapse	p. 289
Index	p. 313
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