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Louis B. Hersh
Professor and Chair
B.S. Drexel Institute of Technology
Ph.D. Brandeis University
lhersh@pop.uky.edu
859-323-5549
Research Interests |
Publications |
PubMed
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Research Interests:
This laboratory has as a major
focus the study of neuropeptidases and their involvement in human
disease. It is generally believed that Alzheimer’s disease is caused by
the accumulation of a peptide called the amyloid beta peptide in the brain
of affected individuals. Two peptidases, neprilysin and insulysin, are
involved in regulating amyloid beta peptide levels in the brain. It is
believed that a there is an age dependent decline in the activity of these
enzymes which leads to increased amyloid beta peptide levels as a
contributing factor to Alzheimer’s disease. We are investigating
strategies based on gene replacement therapies to use these peptidases to
lower brain amyloid beta peptide levels as a method to prevent and treat
Alzheimer’s disease. We are also investigating the physiological
function of other neuropeptidases and their role in pathological states.
Currently these studies are focused on peptidases involved in
beta-endorphin metabolism. |
Representative Publications:
Hersh, LB The
insulysin (insulin degrading enzyme) enigma. Cell Mol Life Sci.
63:2432-2434 (2006).
Song ES, Cady
C, Fried MG, Hersh LB. Proteolytic Fragments of Insulysin (IDE) Retain
Substrate Binding but Lose Allosteric Regulation. Biochemistry.
45:15085-15091(2006).
Kim M, Hersh
LB, Leissring MA, Ingelsson M, Matsui T, Farris W, Lu A, Hyman BT,
Selkoe DJ, Bertram L, Tanzi RE. Decreased catalytic activity of the
insulin degrading enzyme in chromosome 10-linked Alzheimer's disease
families. J Biol Chem. 282, 7825-7832 (2007)]
Yao J, Hersh
LB. The vesicular monoamine transporter 2 contains trafficking signals
in both its N-glycosylation and C-terminal domains. J. Neurochem.
100:1387-1396 (2007).
Horiguchi A, Zheng R, Goodman OB Jr, Shen R, Guan H, Hersh LB, Nanus DM.
Lentiviral vector neutral endopeptidase gene transfer suppresses
prostate cancer tumor growth. Cancer Gene Ther. 14:583-589
(2007).
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