Docking Studies of Tau Protein.docVIP

IAENG International Journal of Computer Science, 33:1, IJCS_33_1_7 ______________________________________________________________________________________ Docking studies of Tau Protein Harkewal Singh, Dr. Soma S. Marla, Manas Agarwal, Jaypee University of Information Technology, Waknaghat, Solan (H.P.) India 173215 Abstract-Alzheimer’s disease (AD)[1] is a fatal brain disorder and alone in United States approximately 4.5 millions Americans are suffering from this disease which is expected by 2050 to range between 11.3 million to 16 million[2] Alzheimer’s disease is a form of dementia, in which nerve cells in memory areas of brain and eventually other areas begin to die at accelerated rate resulting in serious deterioration in several mental functions, such as loss in memory, language, orientation and judgment [3] AD is characterized by the formation of senile plaques (made of β amyloid, a toxic protein that comes from normal protein) and neurofibrillary tangles (followed by changes in tau protein) resulting in neuronal destructions. Currently available drugs against AD target the acetylcholine cycle thus stopping the abnormal breakdown of (medial temporal lobe) that causes the first symptoms. The neurons are involved in the travel of electric charges, resulting in the release of messages. AD disrupts this intimate signaling system, resulting into formation of abnormal Senile Plaque (made of β-amyloid. [6] Neurofibrillary Tangles are abnormal collections of twisted threads found inside nerve cells. The main component of the tangles is one form of the protein tau. Tau protein has the ability to bind and stabilize the cells’ internal skeleton called microtubule. In neuron, cells that are healthy microtubules form structures like train tracks, whic