Insights from Drosophila models of Alzheimer's disease

AD (Alzheimer's disease) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the abnormal hyperphosphorylation and aggregation of the microtubule-associated protein tau and the misfolding and deposition of A beta peptide. The mechanisms by which tau and A beta become abnormal is not clearly understood, neither is it known what role either protein plays in the neurodegenerative process underlying AD. We have modelled aspects of AD in Drosophila melanogaster to shed light on these processes and to further our understanding of the relationship between tau and amyloid in this disease.