Yeast as a model for studies on Aβ aggregation toxicity in Alzheimer's disease, autophagic responses, and drug screening

Abstract

The Aβ peptide is widely considered a major cause of Alzheimer's disease since it causes neuronal death in an oligomerisation-dependent manner. In order to identify new inhibitors of Aβ that may be chemo preventative for Alzheimer's disease, a yeast assay that qualitatively determines the amounts and state of the human Aβ42 peptide has been developed. Yeast assays such as this can be applied to studies on aggregation toxicity, autophagic responses and drug screening in Alzheimer's disease.