Title:Molecular Mechanism of Autophagy: Its Role in the Therapy of Alzheimer’s Disease
Volume: 18
Issue: 8
Author(s): Yuan Zhao, Yidan Zhang, Jian Zhang, Xiangjian Zhang and Guofeng Yang*
Affiliation:
- Department of Geriatrics, Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei,China
Keywords:
Alzheimer`s disease, autophagy, amyloid beta, tau, propagation of amyloid beta and tau, mTOR-dependent pathway,
mTOR-independent pathway, autophagy-related interventions.
Abstract: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder of progressive dementia that is
characterized by the accumulation of beta-amyloid (Aβ)-containing neuritic plaques and intracellular
Tau protein tangles. This distinctive pathology indicates that the protein quality control is compromised
in AD. Autophagy functions as a “neuronal housekeeper” that eliminates aberrant protein
aggregates by wrapping then into autophagosomes and delivering them to lysosomes for degradation.
Several studies have suggested that autophagy deficits in autophagy participate in the accumulation
and propagation of misfolded proteins (including Aβ and Tau). In this review, we summarize
current knowledge of autophagy in the pathogenesis of AD, as well as some pathways targeting the
restoration of autophagy. Moreover, we discuss how these aspects can contribute to the development
of disease-modifying therapies in AD.
