Huntington's disease: underlying molecular mechanisms and emerging concepts

J Labbadia, RI Morimoto - Trends in biochemical sciences, 2013 - cell.com
J Labbadia, RI Morimoto
Trends in biochemical sciences, 2013cell.com
Huntington's disease (HD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder for which no
disease modifying treatments exist. Many molecular changes and cellular consequences
that underlie HD are observed in other neurological disorders, suggesting that common
pathological mechanisms and pathways may exist. Recent findings have enhanced our
understanding of the way cells regulate and respond to expanded polyglutamine proteins
such as mutant huntingtin. These studies demonstrate that in addition to effects on folding …
Huntington's disease (HD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder for which no disease modifying treatments exist. Many molecular changes and cellular consequences that underlie HD are observed in other neurological disorders, suggesting that common pathological mechanisms and pathways may exist. Recent findings have enhanced our understanding of the way cells regulate and respond to expanded polyglutamine proteins such as mutant huntingtin. These studies demonstrate that in addition to effects on folding, aggregation, and clearance pathways, a general transcriptional mechanism also dictates the expression of polyglutamine proteins. Here, we summarize the key pathways and networks that are important in HD in the context of recent therapeutic advances and highlight how their interplay may be of relevance to other protein folding disorders.
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