Protein Homeostasis Diseases

Protein Homeostasis Diseases: Mechanisms and Novel Therapies offers an interdisciplinary examination of the fundamental aspects, biochemistry and molecular biology of protein homeostasis disease, including the use of natural and pharmacological small molecules to treat common and rare protein homeostasis disorders. Contributions from international experts discuss the biochemical and genetic components of protein homeostasis disorders, the mechanisms by which genetic variants may cause loss-of-function and gain-of-toxic-function, and how natural ligands can restore protein function and homeostasis in genetic diseases. Applied chapters provide guidance on employing high throughput sequencing and screening methodologies to develop pharmacological chaperones and repurpose approved drugs to treat protein homeostasis disorders. Provides an interdisciplinary examination of protein homeostasis disorders, with an emphasis on treatment strategies employing small natural and pharmacological ligands Offers applied approaches in employing high throughput sequencing and screening to develop pharmacological chaperones to treat protein homeostasis disease Gathers expertise from a range of international chapter authors who work across various biological methods and disease specific disciplines of relevance

This book, written by members of the European network PROTEOSTASIS, provides an up-to-date review of the research regarding protein homeostasis in health and disease. With new discoveries contributing to the increasing complexity of this topic, the book offers a detailed overview of the pathways regulating protein homeostasis, including autophagy and the ubiquitin protein family. Following a basic introduction, it explains how defects in protein homeostasis contribute to numerous pathologies, including cancer, neurodegeneration, inflammation and a number of rare diseases. In addition, it discusses, the role of protein homeostasis in cellular development and physiology. Highlighting the latest research in the field of protein homeostasis and its implications for various clinically relevant diseases, the book appeals to researchers and clinicians, while also offering a reference guide for scholars who are new to the field.

The entire life cycle of a protein-from synthesis and folding to transport and degradation-is carefully controlled by the proteostasis network. This network, consisting of many interconnected pathways and processes, manages protein homeostasis by dynamically responding to the needs of the cell. Stress and aging can challenge the proteostasis network, resulting in the aggregation of misfolded proteins-a feature of numerous neurodegenerative conditions. Written and edited by experts in the field, this collection from Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology provides a comprehensive update on how the proteostasis network functions in healthy cells and the diseases that result when protein quality control goes awry. The contributors examine the relevant biochemical attributes of proteins (e.g., solubility), the functions of normal protein aggregates (e.g., biofilm formation in bacteria), and the various heat shock proteins, chaperones, translocation machineries, proteasomes, signaling factors, and transcriptional programs involved in proteostasis. The roles of specific subcellular structures-the endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria, ribosomes, lysosomes, and cytoplasm-in protein quality control are covered, as is the regulation of proteostasis at the organismal level (e.g., via neuronal activity). Discussions of the responses by cells when errors in protein quality control occur, the medical disorders that can result (e.g., Alzheimer disease), and pharmacologic approaches to ameliorate protein conformational disorders are also included. This book is therefore an essential reference for biochemists, cell biologists, and all biomedical scientists wishing to understand the pathological consequences of and potential therapies for proteostasis deficiencies in common human diseases.

Proper folding of proteins is crucial for cell function. Chaperones and enzymes that post-translationally modify newly synthesized proteins help ensure that proteins fold correctly, and the unfolded protein response functions as a homeostatic mechanism that removes misfolded proteins when cells are stressed. This book covers the entire spectrum of proteostasis in healthy cells and the diseases that result when control of protein production, protein folding, and protein degradation goes awry.

The Cover Image for This Research Topic is Used With Permission of the Authors and Publishers of the Following Article: Winkler J, Seybert A, König L, Pruggnaller S, Haselmann U, Sourjik V, Weiss M, Frangakis AS, Mogk A, Bukau B.EMBO J. 2010 Mar 3;29(5):910-23. doi: 10.1038/emboj.2009.412. Epub 2010 Jan 21

Proteins are amazingly versatile molecules. They make the chemical reactions happen that form the basis for life, they transmit signals in the body, they identify and kill foreign invaders, they form the engines that make us move, and they record visual images. All of this is now common knowledge, but it was not so a hundred years ago. Nature's Robots is an authoritative history of protein science, from the origins of protein research in the nineteenth century, when the chemical constitution of 'protein' was first studied and heatedly debated and when there was as yet no glimmer of the functional potential of substances in the 'protein' category, to the determination of the first structures of individual proteins at atomic resolution - when positions of individual atoms were first specified exactly and bonding between neighbouring atoms precisely defined. Tanford and Reynolds, who themselves made major contributions to the golden age of protein science, have written a remarkably vivid account of this history. It is a fascinating story, involving heroes from the past, working mostly alone or in small groups, usually with little support from formal research groups. It is also a story that embraces a number of historically important scientific controversies. Written in clear and accessible prose, Nature's Robots will appeal to general readers with an interest in popular science, in addition to professional scientists and historians of science.

The health of the proteome depends upon protein quality control to regulate the proper synthesis, folding, translocation, and clearance of proteins. The cell is challenged constantly by environmental and physiological stress, aging, and the chronic expressions of disease associated misfolded proteins. Substantial evidence supports the hypothesis that the expression of damaged proteins initiates a cascade of molecular events that leads to Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Huntington's disease, and other diseases of protein conformation.