SUMOylation: novel neuroprotective approach for Alzheimer's disease?

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized in the brain by the formation of amyloid-beta (Aβ)-containing plaques and neurofibrillary tangles containing the microtubule-associated protein tau. Neuroinflammation is another feature of AD and astrocytes are receiving increasing attention as key contributors. Although some progress has been made, the molecular mechanisms underlying the pathophysiology of AD remain unclear. Interestingly, some of the main proteins involved in AD, including amyloid precursor protein (APP) and tau, have recently been shown to be SUMOylated. The post-translational modification by SUMO (small ubiquitin-like modifier) has been shown to regulate APP and tau and may modulate other proteins implicated in AD. Here we present an overview of recent studies suggesting that protein SUMOylation might be involved in the underlying pathogenic mechanisms of AD and discuss how this could be exploited for therapeutic intervention

Quantificação de [32P] fosfoproteínas em gel de pollacrilamida pela Radiação Cerenkov: vantagens sobre outros procedimentos

The phosphorylation of proteins has been recognized as an important mechanism for controlling cellular activities. There are many ways to measure 32P-labellingof phosphoproteins resolved by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, including densitometry of autoradiographs, liquid scintillation counting and Cerenkov counting. This report compares such different procedures and indicates the advantages of Cerenkov counting to determine radioactive phosphate incorporation into proteins.A fosforilação proteica tem sido reconhecida como um importante mecanismo no controle das atividades celulares. Há várias maneiras para medir a marcação com 32P de fosfoproteinas separadas por eletroforese em gel de poliacrilamida, incluindo densitometria de filmes autorradiográficos, cintilação líquida e radiação Cerenkov. Este trabalho compara tais diferentes procedimentos e aponta as vantagens do uso da radiação Cerenkov para medir a incorporação de fosfato radioativo em proteínas

Berberine was neuroprotective against an in vitro model of brain ischemia: Survival and apoptosis pathways involved

AbstractBerberine is an alkaloid derived from herb the Berberis sp. and has long-term use in Oriental medicine. Studies along the years have demonstrated its beneficial effect in various neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders. The subject of this study was to evaluate whether berberine protects against delayed neuronal cell death in organotypic hippocampal culture (OHC) exposed to oxygen and glucose deprivation (OGD) and the cell signaling mechanism related to its effect. Hippocampal slices were obtained from 6 to 8-days-old male Wistar rat and cultured for 14 days. Following, the cultures were exposed for 1h to OGD and then treated with Berberine (10 and 20μM). After 24h recovery, propidium iodide (PI) uptake was analyzed and a decrease was observed in PI uptake on OGD Ber-treated culture, which means a decrease in cellular death. Western blot analysis showed that proteins Akt, GSK3β, ERK and JNK appear to play a role in berberine-mediated neuroprotection. Furthermore, capase-3 activity of OGD Ber-treated culture was diminished by control level in a fluorimetry assay. These findings suggest that berberine-mediated neuroprotection after ischemia involves Akt/GSK3β/ERK 1/2 survival/apoptotic signaling pathway as well as JNK and caspase-3 activity inhibition

Efeito de lesões produzidas por ácido kaínico no hipocampo de ratos sobre a fosforilação e iminoconteudo da GFAP

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Susceptibilidade ao dano produzido pela privação de oxigênio e glicose em fatias hipocampais de ratos senescentes

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A exploração de uma Arquitetura Pedagógica em sala de aula

Este artigo é resultado de uma pesquisa exploratória realizada apartir da proposta de uma arquitetura pedagógica. Essa arquiteturaconfigurou a prática em sala de aula e foi realizada com 120 alunos doensino básico em uma escola de Porto Alegre. Sua aplicação junto aos alunosresultou em: (1) dedicação intensiva que ultrapassou o tempo da sala de aula;(2) interesse ampliado por criar disponibilidade para a aprendizagem; (3)aprendizagem maximizada. A arquitetura pedagógica proposta encontrou osdesejos de nativos digitais que tem prazer em trabalhar com a web e ousadiapara aprender e recriar conhecimentos

Avaliação da atividade neuroprotetora do extrato de Kava (Piper methysticum), e seus possíveis mecanismos de ação, em hipocampo de ratos, utilizando modelos in vitro submetidos a privação de oxigênio e glicose

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Estudo sobre o potencial efeito neuroprotetor da genisteína num modelo de fatias hipocampais submetidas à privação de glicose e oxigênio

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