Molecular misreading of genes in Down syndrome as a model for the Alzheimer type of neurodegeneration

The occurrence of +1 frameshifted proteins, such as amyloid precursor protein (APP+1) and ubiquitin-B (UBB+1) in Down syndrome (DS) has been linked to the onset of Alzheimer's disease (AD). In DS and AD patients, but also in elderly non-demented persons, these co-called +1 proteins accumulate in the neuropathological hallmarks (neurofibrillary tangles, dystrophic neurites of the neuritic plaques and neuropil threads) and may have deleterious effects on neuronal function. Frameshifts are caused by dinucleotide deletions in GAGAG motifs in messenger RNA and are now thought to be the result of unfaithful transcription of normal DNA by a novel process termed "molecular misreading". In the present review some of the critical events in molecular misreading are discussed, the emphasis being on DS.