| Biochem/physiol Actions | Misfolded proteins accumulate in many neurodegenerative diseases, including huntingtin in Huntington's disease and alpha-synuclein in Parkinson's disease. The disease-causing proteins can take various conformations and are prone to aggregate and form larger cytoplasmic or nuclear inclusions. CPNQ (B2) was identified as a compound that promotes inclusion formation in cellular models of both Huntington's disease and Parkinson's disease. Despite the aggregate-forming specifics the compound prevents huntingtin-mediated proteasome dysfunction and reduces alpha-synuclein-mediated toxicity. These results demonstrate that compounds that increase inclusion formation may actually lessen cellular pathology in both Huntington's and Parkinson's diseases, suggesting a therapeutic approach for neurodegenerative diseases caused by protein misfolding. The ability of B2 to prevent toxicity, despite increasing inclusions, suggests that inclusions are beneficial rather than toxic, which will be further explored as the molecular target and mechanism. CPNQ (B2) is a desirable tool for both Huntington's and Parkinson's research. |
