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Updated: Aug 1, 2026

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy for the Identification of Multiple Phosphorylations of Intrinsically Disordered Proteins
Published on: December 27, 2016
Neuronal polo-like kinase in Alzheimer disease indicates cell cycle changes
1Institute of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, 2085 Adelbert Road, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA.
Abstract:
Neurons of adults apparently lack the components necessary to complete the cell division process. Therefore, in Alzheimer disease, the increased expression of cell cycle-related proteins in degenerating neurons likely leads to an interrupted mitotic process associated with cytoskeletal abnormalities and, ultimately, neuronal degeneration. In this study, to further delineate the role of mitotic processes in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer disease, we undertook a study of polo-like kinase (Plk), a protein that plays a crucial role in the cell cycle. Our results show disease-related increases in Plk in susceptible hippocampal and cortical neurons in comparison to young or age-matched controls. An increase in neuronal Plk further implicates aberrations in cell cycle control in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer disease and provides a novel mechanistic basis for therapeutic intervention.
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