Structural studies on the mechanism of protein aggregation in age related neurodegenerative diseases

The progression of many neurodegenerative diseases is assumed to be caused by misfolding of specific characteristic diseases related proteins, resulting in aggregation and fibril formation of these proteins. Protein misfolding associated age related diseases, although different in disease manifestations, share striking similarities. In all cases, one disease protein aggregates and loses its function or additionally shows a toxic gain of function. However, the clear link between these individual amyloid-like protein aggregates and cellular toxicity is often still uncertain. The similar features of protein misfolding and aggregation in this group of proteins, all involved in age related neurodegenerative diseases, results in high interest in characterization of their structural properties. We review here recent findings on structural properties of some age related disease proteins, in the context of their biological importance in disease.