Neurodegenerative disease

Yeast cells indicating that Aβ disrupts normal cellular trafficking

Yeast model connects Alzheimer's disease risk and amyloid beta toxicity

October 27, 2011

In a development that sheds new light on the pathology of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), a team of Whitehead Institute scientists has identified connections between genetic risk factors for the disease and the effects of a peptide toxic to nerve cells in the brains of AD patients.

Small molecules found to protect cells in multiple models of Parkinson’s disease

Neurodegenerative disease

December 28, 2009

Several structurally similar small molecules appear capable of protecting cells from alpha-synuclein toxicity, a hallmark of Parkinson’s disease, according to Whitehead Institute researchers.

Jamming cell’s protein disposal shows how system works

Protein form and function

October 26, 2009

Whitehead Institute scientists have determined that a protein known as YOD1 plays a critical role in the disposal of misfolded cellular proteins. The researchers identified YOD1’s role by blocking its function, a manipulation that halts the elimination of errant proteins entirely. The finding should help bring greater understanding to this vital but complex cellular process.

Schematic of a general signalling pathway

Calculating gene and protein connections in a Parkinson’s model

Neurodegenerative disease

February 22, 2009

Researchers have created an algorithm that meshes existing data to produce a clearer step-by-step flow chart of how cells respond to stimuli. Using this new method, Whitehead Institute and Massachusetts Institute of Technology scientists have analyzed alpha-synuclein toxicity to identify genes and pathways that can affect cell survival. Misfolded copies of the alpha-synuclein protein in brain cells are a hallmark of Parkinson’s disease.