Alzheimer's Disease Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Alzheimer's Disease, including details on diagnosis, memory loss, heredity, treatment, medication.

Influence of heparin and dendrimers on the aggregation of two amyloid peptides related to Alzheimer's and prion diseases.

Klajnert B, Cortijo-Arellano M, Bryszewska M, Cladera J

Department of General Biophysics, University of Lodz, ul. Banacha 12/16, Lodz 90-237, Poland.

Amyloid plaques composed of proteinaceous aggregates are commonly found in brains affected by Alzheimer's disease and spongiform encephalopaties. A structural homology has been recently described for the Alzheimer's peptide Abeta1-28 and the segment of the prion protein Prp185-208. In the present paper, further elements in common are reported: the aggregation processes are in both cases enhanced by the model glucosaminoglycan heparin and dendrimers can modulate the aggregation process by affecting the nucleation rate at low concentrations and the elongation rate at high concentrations. Nucleation and elongation rate constants are derived from fittings to a nucleation dependent polymerization model.

Published 7 December 2005 in Biochem Biophys Res Commun, 339(2): 577-82.
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