Biochemical and biomolecular approaches to degenerative diseases

Module Biochemical approaches to degenerative diseases

·      Protein structure and principles of folding. Proteopathies (or folding disorders): examples of hereditary and non-hereditary diseases based on protein misfolding. Point mutations (relationship between structural modifications and functional alterations of mutated proteins; relevant pathological examples).

·      Alterations of brain metabolism in aging and in neurodegenerative diseases.

·  Biochemistry of the tumor microenvironment (TME). Metabolic adaptation to hypoxia; metabolic competition; metabolic coupling between tumor cells and cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs); metabolic targets within the TME as a therapeutic approach.

·  Metabolic control of the immune response: from cellular regulation to tumor immunosuppression.

·      Metabolic–epigenetic reprogramming and its implications in tumor plasticity and the tumor microenvironment (TME): key metabolites regulating the epigenome; epigenetic regulation of epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT); tumor stemness and maintenance of cancer stem cells (CSCs). Therapeutic implications.

Struttura e funzione delle proteine, Petsko e Ringe, Zanichelli

scientific articles