Composite
54%
Novelty
65%
Feasibility
50%
Impact
45%
Mechanistic
50%
Druggability
40%
Safety
40%
Confidence
55%

Mechanistic description

Neurons uniquely express the PP2A Bβ1 regulatory subunit forming a phosphatase complex that selectively dephosphorylates and activates ULK1 at Ser757 but not Ser317, creating a dominant-negative ULK1 activation state refractory to most autophagy induction strategies. SKEPTIC critique weakened this by noting PPP2R2B is ‘neuron-enriched’ not ‘neuron-exclusive’, and the selective dephosphorylation specificity lacks structural validation. DOMAIN_EXPERT identifies this as high-risk requiring structural data on PP2A-Bβ1:ULK1 interface before clinical investment.

Evidence for (3)

  • PPP2R2B is neuron-enriched and alternatively spliced

  • PP2A activity elevated in ALS spinal cord tissue

  • Oxidative stress promotes autophagic cell death in human neuroblastoma cells with ectopic transfer of mitochondrial PPP2R2B (Bbeta2).

    PMID:20017961 2009 BMC Cell Biol

Evidence against (2)

  • AMPK activators successfully induce autophagy in neurons, suggesting ULK1-S757 dephosphorylation is not insurmountable barrier

  • LB-100 potentiates autophagy in cancer, not neurons—cross-tissue generalization unwarranted

Bayesian persona consensus

49% posterior support

2 signals · 1 for / 1 against · agreement 50%

scidex.consensus.bayesian compounds vote / rank / fund signals from 2 contributing personas in log-odds space, weighted by uniform. Prior 50%.