Journal article
Silencing of CDK5 as potential therapy for Alzheimer's disease
Reviews in the neurosciences, Vol.22(2), pp.143-152
2011
DOI: 10.1515/RNS.2011.015
PMID: 21476938
Abstract
Neurodegeneration is one of the greatest public health challenges for the 21st century. Among neurodegenerative diseases, Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most prevalent and best characterized. Nevertheless, despite the large investment in AD research, currently there is no effective therapeutic option. In the present review, we highlight a novel alternative, which takes advantage of the biotechnological outbreak deployed by the discovery of the RNA interference-based gene silencing mechanism, and its application as a tool for neurodegeneration treatment. Here, we highlight cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (CDK5) as a key candidate target for therapeutic gene silencing. Unlike other members of the cyclin-dependent kinase family, CDK5 does not seem to play a crucial role in cell cycle regulation. By contrast, CDK5 participates in multiple functions during nervous system development and has been established as a key mediator of Tau hyperphosphorylation and neurofibrillary pathology, thus serving as an optimal candidate for targeted therapy in the adult nervous system. We propose that the use of RNA interference for CDK5 silencing presents an attractive and specific therapeutic alternative for AD and perhaps against other tauopathies.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Silencing of CDK5 as potential therapy for Alzheimer's disease
- Creators
- Alejandro López-Tobón - Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology Area, Viral Vector Core and Gene Therapy, Group of Neuroscience of Antioquia, Faculty of Medicine, SIU, University of Antioquia, Medellin, ColombiaJohn Fredy Castro-ÁlvarezDiego PiedrahitaRyan L BoudreauJuan Carlos Gallego-GómezGloria Patricia Cardona-Gómez
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Reviews in the neurosciences, Vol.22(2), pp.143-152
- Publisher
- Germany
- DOI
- 10.1515/RNS.2011.015
- PMID
- 21476938
- ISSN
- 0334-1763
- eISSN
- 2191-0200
- Grant note
- AG024024063 / NIA NIH HHS R21 R01 AG029802-01 / NIA NIH HHS
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 2011
- Academic Unit
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute; Cardiovascular Medicine; Fraternal Order of Eagles Diabetes Research Center; Internal Medicine
- Record Identifier
- 9984065489102771
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