Is membrane homeostasis the missing link between inflammation and neurodegenerative diseases?

What is it about?

Systemic inflammation and infections are associated with neurodegenerative diseases. Unfortunately, the molecular bases of this link are still largely undiscovered. We, therefore, review how inflammatory processes can imbalance membrane homeostasis and theorize how this may have an effect on the aggregation behavior of the proteins implicated in such diseases. Specifically, we describe the processes that generate such imbalances at the molecular level, and try to understand how they affect protein folding and localization. Overall, current knowledge suggests that microglia pro-inflammatory mediators can generate membrane damage, which may have an impact in terms of triggering or accelerating disease manifestation.

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Why is it important?

We show that a more detailed comprehension of inflammation in less prevalent diseases (e.g., HD, ALS) may help to understand common as well as particular molecular mechanisms involved in neurodegeneration.

Perspectives