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Detecting Aggregated Superoxide-Dismutase Protein Using Aggregate Specific Antibodies, Helen Magana

Honors Projects

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is neurodegenerative disease characterized by late-onset, loss of motor neurons, paralysis, and eventual death. SOD1 is a free radical scavenger that normally resides in the cytoplasm, nucleus, and intermembrane space of the mitochondria. Mutations in SOD1, a ubiquitously expressed free-radical scavenger, are one cause of ALS. Degeneration of motor neurons is thought to be triggered by aggregation of mutant SOD1 followed by propagation to adjacent cells though cell-cell contacts. Here, we present immunohistochemical findings on tissues of a Drosophila melanogaster expressing mutant dsod1 alleles at the endogenous locus. Aggregate-specific antibodies were used to assess the presence of …