Journal
EXPERT REVIEW OF PROTEOMICS
Volume 10, Issue 6, Pages 521-535Publisher
TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD
DOI: 10.1586/14789450.2013.858020
Keywords
antioxidants; cartilage; joints; homogentisic acid; ochronosis; protein oxidation; rare diseases
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Funding
- Telethon Italy [GGP10058]
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Alkaptonuria (AKU) is an ultra-rare metabolic disorder of the catabolic pathway of tyrosine and phenylalanine that has been poorly characterized at molecular level. As a genetic disease, AKU is present at birth, but its most severe manifestations are delayed due to the deposition of a dark-brown pigment (ochronosis) in connective tissues. The reasons for such a delayed manifestation have not been clarified yet, though several lines of evidence suggest that the metabolite accumulated in AKU sufferers (homogentisic acid) is prone to auto-oxidation and induction of oxidative stress. The clarification of the pathophysiological molecular mechanisms of AKU would allow a better understanding of the disease, help find a cure for AKU and provide a model for more common rheumatic diseases. With this aim, we have shown how proteomics and redox proteomics might successfully overcome the difficulties of studying a rare disease such as AKU and the limitations of the hitherto adopted approaches.
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