Toxic peptides associated with neurodegenerative disease, such as Aβ, have been found in sub-micron sized vesicles in people with Alzheimer’s disease. In metazoans, these tiny vesicles are used for cell-to-cell communication and known generally as extracellular vesicles, and more specifically, the subtype containing Aβ are referred to as exosomes.
These vesicles are thought to play a complicated role in neurodegenerative disease processes insofar as they may have beneficial effects in some scenarios and pathological effects in others. The Mendenhall lab wants to know what the molecular components of these vesicles are, and what perturbing their expression does in different neurodegenerative disease models.
These vesicles are thought to play a complicated role in neurodegenerative disease processes insofar as they may have beneficial effects in some scenarios and pathological effects in others. The Mendenhall lab wants to know what the molecular components of these vesicles are, and what perturbing their expression does in different neurodegenerative disease models.