Masanori Miyata, Takashi Sato, Miyuki Kugimiya, Misato Sho, Teruya Nakamura, Shinji Ikemizu, Mami Chirifu, Mineyuki Mizuguchi, Yuko Nabeshima, Yoshiaki Suwa, Hiroshi Morioka, Takao Arimori, Mary Ann Suico, Tsuyoshi Shuto, Yasuhiro Sako, Mamiko Momohara, Tomoaki Koga, Saori Morino-Koga, Yuriko Yamagata, Hirofumi Kai
Amyloid fibril formation is associated with protein misfolding disorders, including neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Huntington's diseases. Familial amyloid polyneuropathy (FAP) is a hereditary disease caused by a point mutation of the human plasma protein, transthyretin (TTR), which binds and transports thyroxine (T(4)). TTR variants contribute to the pathogenesis of amyloidosis by forming amyloid fibrils in the extracellular environment. A recent report showed that epigallocatechin 3-gallate (EGCG), the major polyphenol component of green tea, binds to TTR and suppresses TTR amyloid fibril formation...
July 27, 2010: Biochemistry