Amyolateral Sclerosis
(Lou Gherig's Disease)
JJ Flowers and Jonathan Edwards
How do our cells communicate?
Amplification
Signaling Methods
Protein Kinase
- Protein enzyme
- Gain a phosphate
- Phosphorylation cascade
Gated Ion Channels
How do cells do something?
- Ligands
- Protein receptors (inside and outside the membrane)
- Transduction cascades
Results?
- Turn on genes
- Make a protein
- Begin mitosis
- Inititate apoptosis
- The list goes on and on
An Alternate Method
- Calcium ions (Ca+)
- Cyclic AMP (cAPM)
Transduction
Ligands
- Polar/large (requires embedded receptor)
- Proteins or ions
- Nonpolar
- Lipids or steroids
Sources
- Mayo Clinic Staff. "Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis." <i>(ALS) Causes</i>. Mayo Clinic, 09 Apr. 2014. Web. 06 Dec. 2015.
- ALS Association. "Glutamate." <i>ALSA.org</i>. ALS Association, n.d. Web. 06 Dec. 2015.
Stephen Hawking has a rare early-onset slow-progressing form of ALS.
Glutamate
Amyolateral Sclerosis
What does it do to the body?
ALS breaks down the motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord causing them to degenerate and eventually apoptose, causing loss of motion, eventually leading to full paralysis.
General Info
- Genetic (5-10% of diagnoses)
- Gene mutation
- Chemical imbalance (glutamate)
- Possibly disorganized immune response
- Possibly protein mishandling
- Symptoms: Weakness (neuron death) and death
Glutamate
- Neurotransmitter (amino acid, opens Ca+ channels)
- Released too often -> apoptosis