Apoptosis signal regulating kinase 1 (ASK1): potential as a therapeutic target for Alzheimer's disease

Int J Mol Sci. 2014 Jan 29;15(2):2119-29. doi: 10.3390/ijms15022119.

Abstract

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia, characterized by a decline in memory and cognitive function. Clinical manifestations of AD are closely associated with the formation of senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, neuronal loss and cognitive decline. Apoptosis signal regulating kinase 1 (ASK1) is a mediator of the MAPK pathway, which regulates various cellular responses such as apoptosis, cell survival, and differentiation. Accumulating evidence indicates that ASK1 plays a key role in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders such as Huntington's disease and AD. Of particular interest, ASK1 is associated with many signaling pathways, which include endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-mediated apoptosis, Aβ-induced neurotoxicity, tau protein phosphorylation, and insulin signal transduction. Here, we review experimental evidence that links ASK1 signaling and AD pathogenesis and propose that ASK1 might be a new point of therapeutic intervention to prevent or treat AD.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Alzheimer Disease / drug therapy
  • Alzheimer Disease / metabolism*
  • Amyloid beta-Peptides / metabolism
  • Animals
  • Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress
  • Humans
  • Insulin / metabolism
  • MAP Kinase Kinase Kinase 5 / metabolism*
  • Oxidative Stress
  • Signal Transduction

Substances

  • Amyloid beta-Peptides
  • Insulin
  • MAP Kinase Kinase Kinase 5
  • MAP3K5 protein, human