1. Diet and Huntington’s disease

 

A research of Columbia University with 1110 individuals from Canada and United States showed no relation between Mediterranean diet and Huntington’s disease age of onset.

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. HDAC4 Reduction: A Novel Therapeutic Strategy to Target Cytoplasmic Huntingtin and Ameliorate Neurodegeneration

 

Histone deacetylase 4 protein (HDAC4) is involved in repression of transcription. It binds to huntingtin and the association depends on polyglutamine length. If this protein gets reduced, the huntingtin aggregation is delayed. This protein has become a therapeutic target.

 

 

 

 

 

3. Potassium in brain could be key to fighting Huntington's disease

 

 

UCLA researchers investigated astrocytes interaction with neurons involved in coordination of movements. They find out kir4.1 (a protein involved in potassium transport) decreased when huntingtin gene was mutated. When kir4.1 was added artificially, mice waked properly. Astrocytes can be a novel therapeutic target.

 

 

 

 

 

4. Failure to detroy toxin protein contribuites to progression of Huntington’s disease

 

 

Gladstone Institutes have discovered neurons in brain act with different efficiency to fight back against mutated huntingtin aggregation. Striatal neurons are very susceptible to alterations in autophagy. According to their findings, whether Nrf2 was artificially boosted in striatal neurons, autophagy process got accelerated and cell survival got prolonged.