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AD Pathogenesis (ad + pathogenesis)
Selected AbstractsA, aggregation and possible implications in Alzheimer's disease pathogenesisJOURNAL OF CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR MEDICINE, Issue 3 2009Prashant R. Bharadwaj ,,Introduction ,,Amyloid Structure ,,Mechanism of Amyloid aggregation ,,A,: a natively unfolded protein? ,,Ambiguities in synthetic Ab studies ,,Formation of Amyloid plaques ,,Role of Ab in AD Pathogenesis ,,Conclusion Abstract Amyloid , protein (A,) has been associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) because it is a major component of the extracellular plaque found in AD brains. Increased A, levels correlate with the cognitive decline observed in AD. Sporadic AD cases are thought to be chiefly associated with lack of A, clearance from the brain, unlike familial AD which shows increased A, production. A, aggregation leading to deposition is an essential event in AD. However, the factors involved in A, aggregation and accumulation in sporadic AD have not been completely characterized. This review summarizes studies that have examined the factors that affect A, aggregation and toxicity. By necessity these are studies that are performed with recombinant-derived or chemically synthesized A,. The studies therefore are not done in animals but in cell culture, which includes neuronal cells, other mammalian cells and, in some cases, non-mammalian cells that also appear susceptible to A, toxicity. An understanding of A, oligomerization may lead to better strategies to prevent AD. [source] Cystatin C colocalizes with amyloid-, and coimmunoprecipitates with amyloid-, precursor protein in sporadic inclusion-body myositis musclesJOURNAL OF NEUROCHEMISTRY, Issue 6 2003Gaetano Vattemi Abstract Cystatin C (CC), an endogenous cysteine protease inhibitor, is accumulated within amyloid-, (A,) amyloid deposits in Alzheimer's disease (AD) brain and was proposed to play a role in the AD pathogenesis. Because the chemo-morphologic muscle phenotype of sporadic inclusion-body myositis (s-IBM) has several similarities with the phenotype of AD brain, including abnormal accumulation of A, deposits, we studied expression and localization of CC in muscle biopsies of 10 s-IBM, and 16 disease- and five normal-control muscle biopsies. Physical interaction of CC with amyloid-, precursor protein (A,PP) was studied by a combined immunoprecipitation/immunoblotting technique in the s-IBM muscle biopsies and in A,PP-overexpressing cultured human muscle fibers. In all s-IBM muscle biopsies, CC-immunoreactivity either colocalized with, or was adjacent to, the A,-immunoreactive inclusions in 80,90% of the vacuolated muscle fibers, mostly in non-vacuolated regions of their cytoplasm. Ultrastructurally, CC immunoreactivity-colocalized with A, on 6,10 nm amyloid-like fibrils and floccular material. By immunoblotting, CC expression was strongly increased in IBM muscle as compared to the controls. By immunoprecipitation/immunoblotting experiments, CC coimmunoprecipitated with A,PP, both in s-IBM muscle and in A,PP-overexpressing cultured normal human muscle fibers. Our studies (i) demonstrate for the first time that CC physically associates with A,PP, and (ii) suggest that CC may play a novel role in the s-IBM pathogenesis, possibly by influencing A,PP processing and A, deposition. [source] Noradrenergic depletion potentiates ,-amyloid induced cortical inflammation: implications for Alzheimer's diseaseJOURNAL OF NEUROCHEMISTRY, Issue 2002D. L. Feinstein Degeneration of locus ceruleus (LC) neurons and reduced levels of noradrenaline (NA) in LC projection areas is a well known feature of Alzheimer's disease (AD); however, the consequences of those losses are not clear. Since inflammatory mediators contribute to AD pathogenesis, and since NA can suppress inflammatory gene expression, we tested if LC loss influenced brain inflammatory gene expression elicited by amyloid , (A,). Adult rats were injected with the selective neurotoxin DSP4 to induce LC death, and subsequently injected in cortex with A, (aggregated 1,42 peptide). DSP4-treatment potentiated the A,-dependent induction of inflammatory nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), IL-1, and IL6 expression compared to control animals. In contrast, the induction of cyclooxygenase-2 expression was not modified by DSP4-treatment. In control animals, injection of A, induced iNOS primarily in microglial cells, while in DSP4-treated animals iNOS was localized to neurons, as is observed in AD brains. Injection of A, increased IL-1, expression initially in microglia, and at later times in astrocytes, and expression levels were greater in DSP4 treated animals than controls. The potentiating effects of DSP4-treatment on iNOS and IL-1, expression were attenuated by coinjection with NA or the ,-adrenergic receptor agonist isoproterenol. These data demonstrate that LC loss and NA depletion augment inflammatory responses to A,, and suggest that LC loss in AD is permissive for increased inflammation and neuronal cell death. [source] Decreased levels of PSD95 and two associated proteins and increased levels of BCl2 and caspase 3 in hippocampus from subjects with amnestic mild cognitive impairment: Insights into their potential roles for loss of synapses and memory, accumulation of A,, and neurodegeneration in a prodromal stage of Alzheimer's diseaseJOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE RESEARCH, Issue 3 2010Rukhsana Sultana Abstract Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia and is pathologically characterized by senile plaques, neurofibrillary tangles, synaptic disruption and loss, and progressive neuronal deficits. The exact mechanism(s) of AD pathogenesis largely remain unknown. With advances in technology diagnosis of a pre-AD stage referred to as amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI) has become possible. Amnestic MCI is characterized clinically by memory deficit, but normal activities of daily living and no dementia. In the present study, compared to controls, we observed in hippocampus from subjects with MCI a significantly decreased level of PSD95, a key synaptic protein, and also decreased levels of two proteins associated with PSD95, the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor, subunit 2A (NR2A) and the low-density lipoprotein receptor-1 (LRP1). PSD95 and NR2A are involved in long-term potentiation, a key component of memory formation, and LRP1 is involved in efflux of amyloid beta-peptide (1-42). A, (1-42) conceivably is critical to the pathogenesis of MCI and AD, including the oxidative stress under which brain in both conditions exist. The data obtained from the current study suggest a possible involvement of these proteins in synaptic alterations, apoptosis and consequent decrements in learning and memory associated with the progression of MCI to AD. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Redox proteomics studies of in vivo amyloid beta-peptide animal models of Alzheimer's disease: Insight into the role of oxidative stressPROTEOMICS - CLINICAL APPLICATIONS, Issue 5 2008Rukhsana Sultana Abstract Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an age-related neurodegenerative disease. AD is characterized by the presence of senile plaques, neurofibrillary tangles, and synaptic loss. Amyloid ,-peptide (A,), a component of senile plaques, has been proposed to play an important role in oxidative stress in AD brain and could be one of the key factors in the pathogenesis of AD. In the present review, we discuss some of the AD animal models that express A,, and compare the proteomics-identified oxidatively modified proteins between AD brain and those of A, models. Such a comparison would allow better understanding of the role of A, in AD pathogenesis thereby helping in developing potential therapeutics to treat or delay AD. [source] Greasing the wheels of A, clearance in Alzheimer's Disease: The role of lipids and apolipoprotein EBIOFACTORS, Issue 3 2009Jianjia Fan Abstract Although apolipoprotein E (apoE) is the most common genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's Disease (AD), how apoE participates in AD pathogenesis remains incompletely understood. ApoE is also the major carrier of lipids in the brain. Here, we review studies showing that the lipidation status of apoE influences the metabolism of A, peptides, which accumulate as amyloid deposits in the neural parenchyma and cerebrovasculature. One effect of apoE is to inhibit the transport of A, across the blood-brain-barrier (BBB), particularly when apoE is lipidated. A second effect is to facilitate the proteolytic degradation of A, by neprilysin and insulin degrading enzyme (IDE), which is enhanced when apoE is lipidated. We also describe how apoE becomes lipidated and how this impacts A, metabolism. Specifically, genetic loss of the cholesterol transporter ABCA1 impairs apoE lipidation and promotes amyloid deposition in AD mouse models. ABCA1 catalyses the ATP-dependent transport of cholesterol and phospholipids from the plasma membrane to lipid-free apolipoproteins including apoE. Conversely, selective overexpression of ABCA1 increases apoE lipidation in the central nervous system (CNS) and eliminates the formation of amyloid plaques in vivo. Deficiency of Liver-X-Receptors (LXRs), transcription factors that stimulate ABCA1 and apoE expression, exacerbates AD pathogenesis in vivo, whereas treatment of AD mice with synthetic LXR agonists reduces amyloid load and improves cognitive performance. These studies provide new insights into the mechanisms by which apoE affects A, metabolism, and offer opportunities to develop novel therapeutic approaches to reduce the leading cause of dementia in the elderly. © 2009 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc. [source] Cholesterol at the crossroads: Alzheimer's disease and lipid metabolismCLINICAL GENETICS, Issue 1 2004CL Wellington Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is a devastating disease that affects millions of elderly persons. Despite years of intense investigations, genetic risk factors that affect the majority of AD cases have yet to be determined. Recent studies suggest that cholesterol metabolism has integral part in AD pathogenesis, suggesting that genes that regulate lipid metabolism may also play roles in AD. This review will first describe emerging evidence that links cholesterol to the mechanisms thought to underlie AD. Based on this rationale, candidate genes located in regions implicated in AD that have roles in lipid metabolism will then be discussed. [source] |