HSF1 as a therapeutic target in neurodegenerative disease

描述（由申请人提供）：神经元细胞对蛋白质毒性和神经退行性疾病（如亨廷顿氏病、阿尔茨海默氏病、帕金森病和朊病毒疾病）高度敏感，与不适当折叠或聚集的蛋白质的存在有关。蛋白质伴侣在蛋白质的正确折叠、加工和周转中起作用，并保护细胞免受蛋白质毒性的影响。与蛋白质错误折叠相关的神经退行性疾病的细胞和动物模型的实验证据强烈支持蛋白伴侣蛋白表达升高的潜在治疗作用。人热休克转录因子1 （HSF1）协调激活许多编码蛋白伴侣和其他保护细胞免受应激和细胞死亡的蛋白的基因的基础和诱导表达，这表明HSF1是神经退行性疾病药物干预的一个有吸引力的靶点。在本应用程序中，我概述了两个特定的目标，重点关注新的小分子和调节蛋白的表征，这些蛋白可以为增强蛋白伴侣表达的药理干预提供基础。在第一个Specific Aim中，我概述了实验，以了解一种新的小分子HSF1A的详细作用机制，HSF1A能够通过激活人HSF1来协调诱导蛋白伴侣表达。在第二篇Specific Aim中，我概述了HSF1A及其结构相关分子在纹状体细胞培养、亨廷顿病皮质纹状体大鼠脑切片模型以及与polyQ蛋白聚集相关的神经退行性疾病果蝇模型中的功能的实验。这些研究将为新的小分子提供关键的机制信息，作为潜在的治疗方法来协调提高蛋白质伴侣表达，改善与亨廷顿病和其他蛋白质错误折叠的人类神经退行性疾病相关的蛋白质聚集缺陷。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Neuronal cells are highly sensitive to proteo-toxicity and neurodegenerative diseases such as Huntington's, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and prion-based disease are associated with the presence of inappropriately folded or aggregated proteins. Protein chaperones function in the proper folding, processing and turnover of proteins and serve to protect cells from proteo-toxicity. Experimental evidence in cellular and animal models of neurodegenerative diseases associated with protein misfolding strongly support a potential therapeutic role for elevated protein chaperone expression. The human Heat Shock Transcription Factor 1 (HSF1) coordinately activates both basal and inducible expression of many genes encoding protein chaperones and other proteins that protect cells from stress and cell death, suggesting that HSF1 is an attractive target for pharmacological intervention in neurodegenerative disease. In this application I outline two specific aims that focus on the characterization of novel small molecules and regulatory proteins that could provide a basis for pharmacological intervention to enhance protein chaperone expression. In the first Specific Aim I outline experiments to understand the detailed mechanism of action of a novel small molecule, HSF1A, capable of coordinately inducing protein chaperone expression through the activation of human HSF1. In the second Specific Aim I outline experiments to evaluate the function of HSF1A, and structurally related molecules, in striatal cell culture, a corticostriatal rat brain slice model of Huntington<s disease and in a fruit fly model of neurodegenerative disease associated with polyQ protein aggregation. These studies will provide critical mechanistic information on novel small molecules as potential therapeutic approaches to coordinately elevate protein chaperone expression and to ameliorate protein aggregation defects associated with Huntington<s disease and other human neurodegenerative diseases of protein misfolding. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Neurodegenerative diseases such as Huntington's, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Amyotropic Lateral Sclerosis are associated with the presence of misfolded and aggregated proteins. The research proposed in this application aims to characterize novel chemicals and genes that could serve as a basis for the development of therapeutic approaches to ameliorate defects in protein folding associated with human neurodegenerative disease.