AUTHOR=Wells Cameron , Brennan Samuel E. , Keon Matt , Saksena Nitin K. TITLE=Prionoid Proteins in the Pathogenesis of Neurodegenerative Diseases JOURNAL=Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience VOLUME=12 YEAR=2019 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/molecular-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnmol.2019.00271 DOI=10.3389/fnmol.2019.00271 ISSN=1662-5099 ABSTRACT=

There is a growing body of evidence that prionoid protein behaviors are a core element of neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) that afflict humans. Common elements in pathogenesis, pathological effects and protein-level behaviors exist between Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), Parkinson’s Disease (PD), Huntington’s Disease (HD) and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). These extend beyond the affected neurons to glial cells and processes. This results in a complicated system of disease progression, which often takes advantage of protective processes to promote the propagation of pathological protein aggregates. This review article provides a current snapshot of knowledge on these proteins and their intrinsic role in the pathogenesis and disease progression seen across NDs.