Tan Florence Hui Ping, Azzam Ghows
School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 USM, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia.
Malays J Med Sci. 2017 Mar;24(2):6-20. doi: 10.21315/mjms2017.24.2.2. Epub 2017 Apr 14.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most widespread neurodegenerative disorder worldwide. Its pathogenesis involves two hallmarks: aggregation of amyloid beta (Aβ) and occurrence of neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs). The mechanism behind the disease is still unknown. This has prompted the use of animal models to mirror the disease. The fruit fly, has garnered considerable attention as an organism to recapitulate human disorders. With the ability to monopolise a multitude of traditional and novel genetic tools, is ideal for studying not only cellular aspects but also physiological and behavioural traits of human neurodegenerative diseases. Here, we discuss the use of the model in understanding AD pathology and the insights gained in discovering drug therapies for AD.
阿尔茨海默病(AD)是全球最普遍的神经退行性疾病。其发病机制涉及两个标志:β淀粉样蛋白(Aβ)的聚集和神经原纤维缠结(NFTs)的出现。该疾病背后的机制仍然未知。这促使人们使用动物模型来模拟这种疾病。果蝇作为一种能够概括人类疾病的生物体,已引起了相当大的关注。凭借其能够独占众多传统和新型遗传工具的能力,果蝇不仅非常适合研究人类神经退行性疾病的细胞层面,还适合研究其生理和行为特征。在此,我们讨论果蝇模型在理解AD病理学方面的应用以及在发现AD药物疗法中所获得的见解。