MATERIALS AND METHODS RELATING TO PROTEIN AGGREGATION IN NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASE

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide methods of proteolytically converting a precursor protein (e.g. tau) to a product fragment (e.g. a 12 kD fragment) in a stable cell line, wherein the precursor protein is associated with a disease state in which the precursor protein aggregates pathologically (e.g. a tauopathy). SOLUTION: This methods comprise: (a) providing a stable cell line transfected with nucleic acid encoding: (i) a template fragment of the precursor protein such that the template fragment is constitutively expressed in the cell at a level which is not toxic to the cell; and (ii) the precursor protein, which protein is inducibly expressed in the cell in response to a stimulus, whereby interaction of the template fragment with the precursor protein causes a conformational change in the precursor protein such as to cause aggregation and proteolytic processing of the precursor protein to the product fragment. COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT