Protein–protein interactions of huntingtin in the hippocampus

Abstract

Huntingtin (HTT) occurs in the neuronal cytoplasm and can interact with structural elements of synapses. Huntington’s disease (HD) results from pathological expansion of a polyglutamine stretch in the HTT molecule, being probably associated with aberrant protein–protein interactions. The pathogenetic mechanism is still incompletely understood. Alterations of the synaptic structure and plasticity in the hippocampus are observed in early HD. The objective of the study was to theoretically evaluate the HTT contribution to changes in synaptic plasticity by integrating the available experimental data. HTT protein complexes are involved in maintaining the efficiency of synaptic transmission. A pathogenic HTT form (polyQ-HTT) probably disrupts the protein–protein interactions in distorts the dynamics of molecular processes in the synapsis. It was assumed that polyQ-HTT may compete with postsynaptic density proteins and proteins regulating cytoskeleton remodeling.