Changeable proteins cause nerve disease

An incorrectly folded protein is one of the reasons behind the nerve disease ALS, according to new research. But the protein does not have structural errors all the time and only certain types contribute to the harmful protein accumulations that cause the ALS disease.

By Totta Kasemo

November 24, 2009 12:00 AM

The protein superoxide dismutase switches between two forms and one them is harmful. During a brief moment the protein structure alters to the harmful kind that exposes its sticky parts, making the protein to adhere. The researchers now hope that their description of how this incorrectly folded protein looks like will provide opportunities to develop drugs to treat or prevent ALS.

{{ comments.count === 1 ? '1 comment' : comments.count > 1 ? '{0} comments'.replace('{0}', comments.count) : 'Write a comment' }}

By submitting the comment you accept the terms. See terms

Good comment behavior

Keep a good tone in your comments, avoid personal attacks and posts of marketing character. Apply only link on your comment if it is relevant to the debate.

Be aware that the debates are moderated by the portal's editorial team.

The comment has been created.

Your comment will not be visible until you activate it. In a few moments you will receive an email where you must click on a link to activate your comment.