The amyloid-beta (Aβ) peptide is the derivative of amyloid precursor protein (APP) generated through sequential proteolytic processing by β- and γ-secretases. Excessive accumulation of Aβ, the main constituent of amyloid plaques, has been implicated in the etiology of Alzheimer's disease (AD). It was found recently that the impairments of neurogenesis in brain were associated with the pathogenesis of AD. Furthermore recent findings implicated that APP could function to influence proliferation of neural progenitor cells (NPC) and might regulate transcriptional activity of various genes. Studies demonstrated that influence of neurogenesis by APP is conferred differently via its two separate domains, soluble secreted APPs (sAPPs, mainly sAPPα) and APP intracellular domain (AICD). The sAPPα was shown to be neuroprotective and important to neurogenesis, whereas AICD was found to negatively modulate neurogenesis. Furthermore, it was demonstrated recently that microRNA could function to regulate APP expression, APP processing, Aβ accumulation and subsequently influence neurotoxicity and neurogenesis related to APP, which was implicated to AD pathogenesis, especially for sporadic AD. Based on data accumulated, secretase balances were proposed. These secretase balances could influence the downstream balance related to regulation of neurogenesis by AICD and sAPPα as well as balance related to influence of neuron viability by Aβ and sAPPα. Disruption of these secretase balances could be culprits to AD onset.

Recent findings suggest that Ring finger protein 146 (RNF146), also called iduna, have neuroprotective property due to its inhibition of Parthanatos via binding with Poly(ADP-ribose) (PAR). The Parthanatos is a PAR dependent cell death that has been implicated in many human diseases. RNF146/Iduna acts as a PARsylation-directed E3 ubquitin ligase to mediate tankyrase-dependent degradation of axin, thereby positively regulates Wnt signaling. RNF146/Iduna can also facilitate DNA repair and protect against cell death induced by DNA damaging agents or γ-irradiation. It can translocate to the nucleus after cellular injury and promote the ubiquitination and degradation of various nuclear proteins involved in DNA damage repair. The PARsylation-directed ubquitination mediated by RNF146/Iduna is analogous to the phosphorylation-directed ubquitination catalyzed by Skp1-Cul1-F-box (SCF) E3 ubiquitin complex. RNF146/Iduna has been found to be implicated in neurodegenerative disease and cancer development. Therefore modulation of the PAR-binding and PARsylation dependent E3 ligase activity of RNF146/Iduna could have therapeutic significance for diseases, in which PAR and PAR-binding proteins play key pathophysiologic roles.

A method is described for the separation and analysis of phospholipids from rat-liver nuclear envelope and endoplasmic reticulum. The procedure employs a liquid environment, to which antioxidants can be added, and results in separation of NL, PE, PI, PS, and PC in 99% purity in 12 min; analytical columns and a radial compression system may be employed. The procedure results in phospholipids with a large proportion of highly unsaturated fatty acids; some differences in fatty acid distributions were found when nuclear envelope phospholipid fractions were compared with the corresponding fractions from endoplasmic reticulum.

Endoplasmic-reticulum phospholipids were measured during the first hour after carbon tetrachloride administration to male Sprague-Dawley rats and compared with carbon tetrachloride challenge of microsomes from control animals in vitro. The extracted lipids were separated by high-pressure liquid chromatography. No significant differences in the abundance of phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylinositol or phosphatidylcholine were found after either treatment when compared with untreated controls. Diene conjugate formation in each separated phospholipid was determined by measuring A(232) and expressed on the basis of lipid phosphorus. Phosphatidylserine was peroxidized 6-fold greater than in controls after challenge in vivo, reaching maximal change after 15min, whereas the other phospholipids showed little or no alteration. Fatty acid composition analysis was performed by g.l.c. after transesterification of individual phospholipids. Phosphatidylserine revealed two types of response: an abrupt decrease in relative abundance of oleic acid (C(18:1)) and linoleic acid (C(18:2)) without further loss and a slower, linear decrease in arachidonic acid (C(20:4)) over the first hour. Similar changes were not seen in other phospholipids. In the ;in vitro' model, the relative amounts of the phospholipids do not change. The extent of peroxidation was greater in all the phospholipids than found in vivo, with phosphatidylserine peroxidized to the greatest extent. These data suggest that carbon tetrachloride injury in vivo produces an early peroxidative event and that a specific phospholipid (phosphatidylserine) is selectively modified, although maintaining its relative concentration in the membrane. Dissection of this process in vitro will require refinement of existing systems to reduce the non-specific changes associated with the model system.