GIUV2020-481
Parkinson's disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease, affecting 1% of the population over 65 years of age. The most characteristic histopathological effect of this disease is the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra and the appearance of intracytoplasmic protein aggregates called Lewy bodies, with alpha-synuclein being the most abundant protein in these aggregates. Recent studies have shown that in Parkinson's disease, as in most human neurodegenerative diseases, the Golgi apparatus is fragmented and dispersed as a consequence of alterations in intracellular trafficking. Our research group has extensive experience in the morphofunctional analysis of intracellular transport both in basic aspects and in the development of the nervous system and in pathological conditions. In this line of research we have worked with cellular models of the disease, human necropsy samples and a hemiparkinsonian rat animal model. The main objective of our line of research is the analysis of the cytopathological mechanisms involved in the fragmentation of the Golgi apparatus and in the alterations of intracellular traffic in the dopaminergic neurons affected in this...Parkinson's disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease, affecting 1% of the population over 65 years of age. The most characteristic histopathological effect of this disease is the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra and the appearance of intracytoplasmic protein aggregates called Lewy bodies, with alpha-synuclein being the most abundant protein in these aggregates. Recent studies have shown that in Parkinson's disease, as in most human neurodegenerative diseases, the Golgi apparatus is fragmented and dispersed as a consequence of alterations in intracellular trafficking. Our research group has extensive experience in the morphofunctional analysis of intracellular transport both in basic aspects and in the development of the nervous system and in pathological conditions. In this line of research we have worked with cellular models of the disease, human necropsy samples and a hemiparkinsonian rat animal model. The main objective of our line of research is the analysis of the cytopathological mechanisms involved in the fragmentation of the Golgi apparatus and in the alterations of intracellular traffic in the dopaminergic neurons affected in this disease by means of high-resolution morphological techniques supported by biochemical and molecular biology techniques.
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- To study the phytopathological mechanisms involved in alterations of intracellular trafficking in dopaminergic neurons of the human substantia nigra from Parkinson's disease donors, in a cell model and in the substantia nigra of an animal model of Parkinson's disease.
- To analyze the phytopathological mechanisms involved in alterations of intracellular trafficking in dopaminergic neurons of the enteric nervous system using colon samples from an animal model of Parkinson's disease.
- To study the cellular and molecular basis of Golgi apparatus fragmentation in neurodegeneration and to analyze alterations in the cytoarchitecture of the Golgi apparatus using high-resolution morphological techniques and ultrastructural studies.
- To relate the quantitative changes of proteins involved in membrane trafficking in neurodegenerative processes with the study of their location at the ultrastructural level by cryoimmunocytochemistry using electron microscopy.
- Intracellular Trafficking in Parkinson's Disease.The main objective of our line of research is the analysis of the cytopathological mechanisms involved in the fragmentation of the Golgi apparatus and in the alterations of intracellular trafficking in dopaminergic neurons in Parkinson's disease.
- Study of the Enteric Nervous System in Parkinson's Disease.Recent studies have shown the presence of Lewy bodies within the enteric nervous system (ENS). Early onset gastrointestinal symptomatology prior to motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease has recently raised the possibility that lesions in the ENS may develop early in the course of the disease, prior to the appearance of cytopathology in the substantia nigra neurons, and thus the study of the ENS may help to understand the cytopathology of Parkinson's disease. These data and the ease of obtaining samples from patients by routine colonic biopsies have led to the use of the SNE as a study model in our line of research. Our main objective is to study the dopaminergic neurons of Meissner's and Auerbach's plexuses from both proximal and distal colon samples from a Parkinsonian rat model. The studies are carried out by means of high-resolution morphological analyses.
| Name | Nature of participation | Entity | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MÓNICA TOMAS CABALLERO | Director | Universitat de València | |
| Research team | |||
| EMMA MARTÍNEZ ALONSO | Collaborator | Universidad de Murcia | Pre-tenured lecturer |
| MIREIA CARA ESTEBAN | Collaborator | Universitat de València - Estudi General | UVEG PhD student |
| Mª PILAR MARIN MUELA | Collaborator | Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria La Fe | Postdoctoral researcher |
| JOSE ANGEL MARTINEZ MENARGUEZ | Collaborator | Universidad de Murcia | Full university professor |
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- Human Anatomy and Embryology
- ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
- GOLGI APPARATUS
- COLON
- PARKINSON'S
- AUERBACH'S MYENTERIC PLEXUS
- MEISSNER'S SUBMUCOSAL PLEXUS
- ENTERIC NERVOUS SYSTEM
- INTRACELLULAR TRAFFICKING
- CYTOPATHOLOGY
- LEWY BODIES
- CONFOCAL MICROSCOPY
- SNARE PROTEINS
- RAB GTP-ASAS
