Sarah H Shahmoradian

TL;DR: Using three-dimensional correlative light and electron microscopy of Lewy bodies and Lewy neurites in postmortem brains of Parkinson’s disease patients, researchers show that the major constituents are membranes rather than proteinaceous filaments.

TL;DR: This work characterize the growth of fibrillar aggregates of mutant huntingtin exon 1 containing an expanded polyglutamine tract with 51 residues (mhttQ51), and resolve 3-D structures of the chaperonin TRiC interacting with mhttQ 51, finding thatTRiC caps m httQ51 fibril tips via the apical domains of its subunits, and also encapsulates smaller mhtt oligomers within its chamber.

TL;DR: It is shown that expression of mutant huntingtin (mHTT) induced defects in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) transport in BACHD cortical axons that resulted in atrophy of striatal target neurons, and evidence that TRiC reagent-mediated reductions in mHTT enhanced BDNF delivery to restore the trophic status of BAC HD striatal neurons is found.

TL;DR: How the domains flanking the polyQ tract shape the mHtt conformational landscape in vitro and in neurons is established, which should inform new strategies for neuroprotection in polyQ-expansion diseases.

TL;DR: This study represents the first demonstration of using ptychographic hard X-ray tomography at cryogenic temperatures for imaging thick biological tissue in a chemically-fixed, frozen-hydrated state without heavy metal staining and organic solvents.