Abstracts - Jens PahnkeUniversity of Rostock & German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Rostock, Germany Dr. Jens Pahnke’s research is focused on neurodegenerative diseases with special emphasis on Alzheimer’s disease, employing both animal models and human materials. Targets of major interest are function of blood-brain barrier ABC transporter molecules for Abeta excretion and adult neurogenesis. The diagnostic part of his laboratory also offers muscle disease diagnostics. Two selected references:1. Teipel SJ, Kaza E, Hadlich S, Bauer A, Brüning T, Plath AS, Krohn M, Scheffler K, Walker LC, Lotze M, Pahnke J (2011): Automated detection of amyloid-β-related cortical and subcortical signal changes in a transgenic model of Alzheimer's disease using high-field MRI. Journal of Alzheimers Disease23(2):221-37 2. Teipel SJ, Buchert R, Thome J, Hampel H, Pahnke J (2011) Development of Alzheimer-disease neuroimaging-biomarkers using mouse models with amyloid-precursor protein-transgene expression. Prog Neurobiol PMID: 21601614 Mitochondrial gene polymorphisms and ABC transporters regulate β-amyloid levels in AD Several lines of evidence link mutations and deletions in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and its maternal inheritance to neurodegenerative diseases in the elderly. Age-related mutations of mtDNA modulate tricarboxylic cycle enzyme activity, mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation capacity and oxidative stress response. We established novel mitochondrial congenic mouse lines of Alzheimer’s disease and show that specific mtDNA polymorphisms differentially influence mitochondrial energy metabolism, ATP production, ATP-driven microglial activity, and ABC transporter function resulting in alterations of cerebral amyloid-beta accumulation. |
