Analysis of Post-Translational Modifications of a Critical Protein Implicated in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (SOD1)

October 16, 2018 updated by: University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
The purpose of this research study is to discover and quantitate the differences in post-translational modifications found in the Cu, Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD1) of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) as compared to healthy individuals. SOD1 is a known genetic cause of ALS. With certain mutations, SOD1 gains a toxic function which leads to motor neuron death.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Detailed Description

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a devastating neurodegenerative disease in which mutations in human Cu, Zn Superoxide Dismutase (SOD1) have been identified as a cause of familial ALS (FALS) cases.1-2 It has been shown that mutant SOD1 develops a novel toxic function through experiments demonstrating that many disease mutants maintain enzymatic activity, SOD1-null mice do not exhibit ALS symptoms, and co-expressed wild type protein does not rescue the disease-state.7-11 The majority of cases, however, are not caused directly by mutations of SOD1, instead being caused by a poorly understood interplay of several genes as well as environmental factors, which is often referred to as sporadic ALS (SALS).3 It has been found that FALS and SALS share similar pathology. 4-6 The hSOD1 protein aggregates characteristic of FALS have also been found in SALS patients, furthering the evidence that hSOD1 has an important role in the etiology of ALS in sporadic ALS patients.16-19 The exact mechanism of SOD1-associated toxicity has not yet been elucidated though many disease mutants have been shown to destabilize the SOD1 dimer. In this study we aim to compare the levels of SOD1 post-tra slational modifications in ALS patients to levels in healthy donors and to determine if there are distinct patterns of protein glutathionylation or phosphorylation. Our overall goal is to elucidate a direct mechanism of toxicity in SALS as well as identify potentially critical triggers

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

21

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • North Carolina
      • Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States, 27599
        • UNC Neurology ALS clinic

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 99 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Sampling Method

Probability Sample

Study Population

SALS patients SOD1 associated FALS patients Healthy control

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • SALS patients
  • SOD1 associated FALS patients
  • Healthy control

Exclusion Criteria: none

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Observational Models: Cohort
  • Time Perspectives: Prospective

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Post-translational modifications (PTMs) of Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase 1
Time Frame: 6 months
6 months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Chafic Karam, MD, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
  • Principal Investigator: Nikolay V Dokholyan, PhD, UNC

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

August 1, 2014

Primary Completion (Actual)

October 14, 2018

Study Completion (Actual)

October 16, 2018

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

August 27, 2014

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 28, 2014

First Posted (Estimate)

August 29, 2014

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

October 17, 2018

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

October 16, 2018

Last Verified

November 1, 2017

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 14-1780

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

Undecided

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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