Journal of Alzheimers Disease & Parkinsonism
Open Access

Abstract

Myosin5a (Myo5a) is an actin-dependent motor protein that is highly expressed in the brain, and involved in vesicular/
organelles transport and its absence leads to movement disorders in humans and animal species (Griscelli and Elejalde
syndromes in humans), rodents (dilute lethal phenotype in mice, and dilute-opisthotonus of Wistar rats), and Arabian horses
Lavender Foal Syndrome.
A spontaneous autosomal recessive rat model for neurodegeneration caused by a mutation in the Myo5a gene was
developed in our laboratory. The pleiotropic effects of this mutation affect the coat color, central nervous and neuroendocrine
systems.
Preliminary data from our model of Myo5a mutant Berlin-Druckrey (BD-IV) “shaker” rat demonstrated marked alterative
changes involving the alpha-synuclein overexpression, decrease dopamine (DA) levels, alteration of DA metabolism, and
overexpression of tau protein in anatomical areas of brain. A significant increased in miR-132 and a decreased in downstream
target nuclear receptor 1 protein (Nurr1) was found in affected rats. Nurr1 decrease correlates with decrease of tyrosine
hydroxylase and brain-derived neurotrophic factor. The movement disorder and alterative biochemical changes increased in
severity after 15 days postnatal. These biochemical changes were not previously reported to be associated with Myo5a mutation.
Similar neurological alterative changes are common in human neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer, Parkinson’s
Diseases, and Lewis Body dementia, and raised the potential involvement of Myo5a alteration in these neurological diseases,
which can lead to translational studies. The challenge will be to investigate the molecular mechanisms of Myo5a and its
interaction with other proteins underlying its functions.

Biography

George Stoica is a DVM, MSc and a PhD degree holder. He is a Professor in the Department of Veterinary Pathobiology at Texas A & M University, USA. He
received his Master’s degree in Veterinary Pathology from Ohio State University and PhD in Experimental Pathobiology from Michigan State University. He has
been with Texas A&M University since 1984 and was advanced to Full Professor in 1996. His area of expertise is in experimental neuropathology and his area of
research span from chemical carcinogenesis, viral carcinogenesis, comparative neuro-oncology and neurodegenerative disorders in animal models. He published
over 100 scientific articles in peer reviewed journals and wrote several chapters in various books.