Research that will investigate the androgen receptor
Summary: At the Kennedy's Disease Association's Annual Conference and Research Symposium in November, Board Member Ed Meyertholen awarded Heather Montie, Ph.D., with a $50,000 check to support her Kennedy's Disease research at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. This grant will fund research that will investigate the androgen receptor (AR) - this is the protein that is altered in Kennedy's Disease (KD). The AR mediates all the effects of testosterone in cells. Without the AR, testosterone will have no effect. Normally, the AR is activated by testosterone. Once activated by testosterone, the AR causes changes in the activity of the cell. It is believed that in cells from those with KD, the cell is not capable of removing the 'old' AR that has been used and this somehow results in the death of the cells. Preliminary research by Dr. Montie and her colleagues have indicated that the KD form of AR is chemically altered by the cell through a process of hyperacetylation and it is possible that if this process is blocked, the cell may be more capable of removing the AR and thus should not die. The KDA grant will allow Dr. Montie continue her studies on the role of acetylation of AR and to determine if blocking this process does reduce the death of cells with mutant KD
