Parkinson’s Disease Model in vitro and in C. elegans
Access status:
Open Access
Type
ThesisThesis type
Doctor of PhilosophyAuthor/s
Mubayyid, Abdurrahman MAbstract
Current treatments of Parkinson’s Disease (PD), a neurodegenerative disease affecting voluntary movement, do not target the underlying pathology, focussing on the symptoms instead. The focus of this study was the usage of a protein involved in the earliest known pathology of PD, ...
See moreCurrent treatments of Parkinson’s Disease (PD), a neurodegenerative disease affecting voluntary movement, do not target the underlying pathology, focussing on the symptoms instead. The focus of this study was the usage of a protein involved in the earliest known pathology of PD, αsynuclein (αsyn), to conduct preliminary experiments that could determine potential treatments that affect aggregation of αsyn. First, aggregation of αsyn was measured using a commonly used assay for detecting protein aggregation, thioflavin T (ThT) fluorescence assay. Second, Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), nematodes more recently used as a lowcost model for diseases, were treated with αsyn (transgenic species were used overexpressing αsyn in muscle cells and C. elegans were also exogenously exposed to αsyn) and observed for any behavioural changes in movement and bend speed. Treating αsyn with hops, an ingredient used in brewing beer, showed a 53fold reduction in fluorescence in the ThT assays performed. The mechanism in which hops was affecting ThT fluorescence was unclear but the effect, regardless, demonstrates its potential use as a treatment and warrants further study on its effects on αsyn aggregation. C. elegans overexpressing αsyn and exogenously exposed to αsyn showed changes in movement speed compared to untreated populations and this study found that exposure to hops reversed the changes in speed possibly caused by αsyn.
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See moreCurrent treatments of Parkinson’s Disease (PD), a neurodegenerative disease affecting voluntary movement, do not target the underlying pathology, focussing on the symptoms instead. The focus of this study was the usage of a protein involved in the earliest known pathology of PD, αsynuclein (αsyn), to conduct preliminary experiments that could determine potential treatments that affect aggregation of αsyn. First, aggregation of αsyn was measured using a commonly used assay for detecting protein aggregation, thioflavin T (ThT) fluorescence assay. Second, Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), nematodes more recently used as a lowcost model for diseases, were treated with αsyn (transgenic species were used overexpressing αsyn in muscle cells and C. elegans were also exogenously exposed to αsyn) and observed for any behavioural changes in movement and bend speed. Treating αsyn with hops, an ingredient used in brewing beer, showed a 53fold reduction in fluorescence in the ThT assays performed. The mechanism in which hops was affecting ThT fluorescence was unclear but the effect, regardless, demonstrates its potential use as a treatment and warrants further study on its effects on αsyn aggregation. C. elegans overexpressing αsyn and exogenously exposed to αsyn showed changes in movement speed compared to untreated populations and this study found that exposure to hops reversed the changes in speed possibly caused by αsyn.
See less
Date
2019-01-01Licence
The author retains copyright of this thesis. It may only be used for the purposes of research and study. It must not be used for any other purposes and may not be transmitted or shared with others without prior permission.Faculty/School
Faculty of Medicine and HealthAwarding institution
The University of SydneyShare