Coming from Alzheimer group within CEMO division, the Postdoctorate fellow Serena Stanga will make a presentation on " Regulation of the Glial-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (GDNF) expression by
the Amyloid-Precursor Protein (APP)".
As it is mentioned in her abstract, “The Amyloid Precursor Protein (APP) has been extensively studied for its involvement in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Its amyloidogenic processing leads to the formation of beta-amyloid peptide (Ab), the major constituent of senile plaques that, together with neurofibrillary tangles, are typical AD lesions. However, the precise physiological function of APP remains poorly known or controversial. We identified by microarray analysis that GDNF (Glial-derived neutrophic factor), among others, is regulated by APP. GDNF is a neutrophic factor involved in embryonic development and synaptic maintenance in the adult brain. Initially discovered for its ability to promote survival of dopaminergic neurons, its neurotrophic action has been extensively studied in animal models of Parkinson’s disease (PD); moreover, the observations that GDNF is also a potent survival factor for spinal motoneurons also highlighted clinical implications for the treatment of Amyothrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Here we discuss about our recent evidences on the regulation of the GDNF expression by APP not only in the brain but also in peripheral tissues of APP knock-out (APP KO) mice”.
For more information on this subject, this seminar will take place at Pasteur 2 at 12:00.