Molecular Targets and Toxic Interactomes of Pathogenic Proteins in Neurodegeneration
A Special Issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067) belonging to the section "Molecular Neurobiology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2026) | Viewed by 1957
Editors
Interests: CaM kinase II; neuronal plasticity; neuronal death
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Neurotoxic mechanisms of causative proteins in neurodegenerative diseases—such as tau protein, TDP-43 and α-synuclein have been linked to cellular processes including endoplasmic reticulum stress, mitochondrial toxicity and dysregulated liquid–liquid phase separation. However, the ultimate molecular targets with which these pathogenic proteins interact, as well as the precise molecular mechanisms underlying their toxicity, remain largely unclear. Moreover, these disease-associated proteins can interact with one another, giving rise to complex and overlapping pathological states. Importantly, the minimal interaction units that are essential for the manifestation of neurotoxicity have yet to be defined. This Special Issue seeks to solicit innovative and groundbreaking studies aimed at identifying interacting molecules at key cellular targets, including endoplasmic reticulum membrane proteins, mitochondrial inner membrane complexes, nuclear RNA-binding factors, the translational machinery and the proteasome. In addition, manuscripts addressing drug discovery challenges that target these molecules are also welcome. We anticipate that this collection will feature transformative research that accelerates the development of causative therapies for neurodegenerative diseases.
Prof. Dr. Kohji Fukunaga
Dr. Ichiro Kawahata
Guest Editors
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Keywords
- neurodegenerative diseases
- tau protein
- TDP-43
- α-synuclein
- endoplasmic reticulum stress
- mitochondrial toxicity
- liquid–liquid phase separation
- toxic Interactomes
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