Yohan Kim, United States of America

Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research Center for Dementia Research
My name is Yohan Kim. I am a postdoctoral fellow in Nathan S. Kline Institute, New York, working in the lab of Dr. Efrat Levy. I received my Ph.D. in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Iowa in 2017. Since the graduate program, my research focus on understanding pathogenesis and developing therapeutic strategies for Alzheimer’s disease continues using extracellular vesicles isolated from murine brains. The research data support our hypothesis that exosomes play a protective role by facilitating secretion of intracellular waste into extracellular space. We also demonstrated that in a pathogenic condition, EVs are sites where amyloid precursor protein carboxyl-terminal fragments accumulate and Aβ oligomerizes. In a free time, I enjoy watching movies, exercising, and playing games with my kids.

Presenter of 2 Presentations

 Conference Calendar

LIVE DISCUSSION

Session Name
LIVE DISCUSSION - SEX AND GENDER IN NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES
Session Type
LIVE SYMPOSIUM DISCUSSION
Date
14.03.2021, Sunday
Session Time
15:30 - 16:00
Room
Live Symposia Discussion B
Lecture Time
15:30 - 16:00
Presenter
Session Icon
Live

SEX AND AGING ALTER SECRETION OF BRAIN EXTRACELLULAR VESICLES: A POTENTIAL MECHANISM FOR MAINTAINING BRAIN HOMEOSTASIS

Session Name
SEX AND GENDER IN NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES
Session Type
SYMPOSIUM
Date
14.03.2021, Sunday
Session Time
08:00 - 10:00
Room
On Demand Symposia B
Lecture Time
09:00 - 09:15
Presenter
Session Icon
On-Demand

Abstract

Aims

Upon aging, changes occur in the brain, including compromised communication between neurons, changes that are also affected by sex. Moreover, aging is a major risk factor for neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, and females and males differ in the incidence of the disease. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) in the normal brain play a role in neuronal homeostasis, by removing intracellular accumulated material and regulating cell-to-cell communication. We investigated age- and sex-dependent differences in EV levels and content in the brain.

Methods

EVs were isolated and fractioned from the right hemibrains of 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24-month-old female and male C57BL/6 mice. Morphometric EV sizes and numbers were investigated by nanoparticle tracking analysis. EV constituents were characterized by Western blotting.

Results

Using biochemical analyses of brain EVs, we investigated the amount of the plasma membrane-derived microvesicles, late endosome-derived exosomes, and mitochondria-derived mitovesicles, recently identified in our laboratory. We found an age-associated increase in the number of microvesicles, exosomes and mitovesicles in the brain of both sexes. The number of these EVs was higher in the brain of females compared to males. Analysis of the EV content of the amyloid β precursor protein and its metabolites (APP-carboxyl-terminal fragments) revealed an increased load of β-CTF in exosomes with age in both sexes.

Conclusions

These findings reveal age-dependent altered generation and secretion of EVs into the brain extracellular space and a difference in exosome generation between females and males, likely a compensation mechanism that impacts successful brain aging and sex-dependent susceptibility to age-related neurodegenerative diseases.

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