Hi! Janet:
    Thanks for bringing this to our atention.  Somehow I missed this one.  I
shall look this article up.  14-3-3 is not a single protein.  This is a
group of proteins with different functions.  General scheme of things with
this molecule is that it acts as a sequestering molecule in the cytoplam and
is involved in cell division, cell survival and death and probablhy other
processes.
    Thanks again for this info.  I should really read more about this group
of molecules before I say anything more.
    Very interesting piece of work.
Raj
    [log in to unmask]
*********
----- Original Message -----
From: "janet paterson" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Saturday, June 01, 2002 6:55 AM
Subject: Reuters: Brain proteins linked to cell suicide in PD


> hi all
>
> a two yowsa report!
>
> one yowsa for the correct listing of the four primary pd symptoms
> (they missed fatigue but that's only been added recently!)
>
> two yowsas for the discovery of about the possible reason our brain cells
die
>
> janet
>
> -------------
> Brain proteins linked to Parkinson's disease
>
> NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Two naturally occurring proteins in the brain
> may combine to wreak havoc on normal brain function and contribute to
> Parkinson's disease onset, according to a report in the June issue of the
> journal Nature Medicine.
>
> The conclusions are based on studies involving cultures of human brain
> nerve cells.
>
> Parkinson's disease is marked by the loss of brain cells that produce the
> chemical dopamine,
> leading to symptoms such as tremor, rigidity and stiffness, slowed
> movement, and problems
> with balance and coordination.
>
> The exact cause is unknown, but many researchers believe that a
combination
> of environmental factors, genetics and aging are at work.
>
> The new study points to specific molecules that may cause the
> dopamine-producing neurons to
> die in the brains of patients with Parkinson's disease, explained lead
> investigator Dr. Bruce A.
> Yankner of The Children's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, during an
> interview with Reuters
> Health.
>
> "It suggests that two proteins - alpha-synuclein and another protein
called
> 14-3-3 - may come
> together in a lethal combination, which could contribute to the
development
> of Parkinson's
> disease," he said.
>
> The researchers found that a protein complex containing the two substances
> could trigger a cell
> suicide mechanism in dopamine-producing nerve cells, but actually
protected
> other types of
> nerve cells.
>
> Until now, the combination of alpha-synuclein with 14-3-3 protein was not
> previously known
> to cause nerve cell degeneration, Yankner noted.
>
> While the normal function of alpha-synuclein in the brain is unknown, the
> findings suggest that it
> may act to protect the brain, Yankner pointed out.
>
> "However, for unclear reasons, this protective function may be subverted
to
> a detrimental toxic function in Parkinson's disease," he said.
>
> "It is too early to make any clear predictions regarding treatment,"
> Yankner said.
>
> "However, if the findings of this paper prove to be important for
> Parkinson's disease, then preventing alpha-synuclein from getting together
> with the 14-3-3 protein could be a new therapeutic
> approach to the disease."
>
> SOURCE: Nature Medicine 2002;8:600-606.
> Last Updated: 2002-05-31 16:11:44 -0400 (Reuters Health)
> By Keith Mulvihill
> Copyright 2002 Reuters Limited.
>
http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2002/05/31/eline/links/20020531elin013.
> html
>
> janet paterson: an akinetic rigid subtype, albeit primarily perky, parky
> pd: 55/41/37 cd: 55/44/43 tel: 613 256 8340 email: [log in to unmask]
> smail: 375 Country Street, Almonte, Ontario, Canada, K0A 1A0
> a new voice website: http://www.geocities.com/janet313/
>
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