Formation of amyloid-like fibrils in COS cells overexpressing part of the Alzheimer amyloid protein precursor

Amyloid-β-Driven Synaptic Deficits Are Mediated by Synaptic Removal of GluA3-Containing AMPA Receptors

The detrimental effects of oligomeric amyloid-β (Aβ) on synapses are considered the leading cause for cognitive deficits in Alzheimer's disease. However, through which mechanism Aβ oligomers impair synaptic structure and function remains unknown. Here, we used electrophysiology and amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptor (AMPAR) imaging on mouse and rat neurons to demonstrate that GluA3 expression in neurons lacking GluA3 is sufficient to resensitize their synapses to the damaging effects of Aβ, indicating that GluA3-containing AMPARs at synapses are necessary and sufficient for Aβ to induce synaptic deficits. We found that Aβ oligomers trigger the endocytosis of GluA3 and promote its translocation toward endolysosomal compartments for degradation. Mechanistically, these Aβ-driven effects critically depend on the PDZ-binding motif of GluA3. A single point mutation in the GluA3 PDZ-binding motif prevented Aβ-driven effects and rendered synapses fully resistant to the effects of Aβ. Correspondingly, proteomics on synaptosome fractions from APP/PS1-transgenic mice revealed a selective reduction of GluA3 at an early age. These findings support a model where the endocytosis and lysosomal degradation of GluA3-containing AMPARs are a critical early step in the cascade of events through which Aβ accumulation causes a loss of synapses.

Loss of kallikrein-related peptidase 7 exacerbates amyloid pathology in Alzheimer's disease model mice

Deposition of amyloid‐β (Aβ) as senile plaques is one of the pathological hallmarks in the brains of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients. In addition, glial activation has been found in AD brains, although the precise pathological role of astrocytes remains unclear. Here, we identified kallikrein‐related peptidase 7 (KLK7) as an astrocyte‐derived Aβ degrading enzyme. Expression of KLK7 mRNA was significantly decreased in the brains of AD patients. Ablation of Klk7 exacerbated the thioflavin S‐positive Aβ pathology in AD model mice. The expression of Klk7 was upregulated by Aβ treatment in the primary astrocyte, suggesting that Klk7 is homeostatically modulated by Aβ‐induced responses. Finally, we found that the Food and Drug Administration‐approved anti‐dementia drug memantine can increase the expression of Klk7 and Aβ degradation activity specifically in the astrocytes. These data suggest that KLK7 is an important enzyme in the degradation and clearance of deposited Aβ species by astrocytes involved in the pathogenesis of AD.

Relevance of N-terminal residues for amyloid-β binding to platelet integrin αIIbβ3, integrin outside-in signaling and amyloid-β fibril formation

A pathological hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the aggregation of amyloid-β peptides (Aβ) into fibrils, leading to deposits in cerebral parenchyma and vessels known as cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA). Platelets are major players of hemostasis but are also implicated in AD. Recently we provided strong evidence for a direct contribution of platelets to AD pathology. We found that monomeric Aβ40 binds through its RHDS sequence to integrin α_IIbβ₃, and promotes the formation of fibrillar Aβ aggregates by the secretion of adenosine diphosphate (ADP) and the chaperone protein clusterin (CLU) from platelets. Here we investigated the molecular mechanisms of Aβ binding to integrin α_IIbβ₃ by using Aβ11 and Aβ16 peptides. These peptides include the RHDS binding motif important for integrin binding but lack the central hydrophobic core and the C-terminal sequence of Aβ. We observed platelet adhesion to truncated N-terminal Aβ11 and Aβ16 peptides that was not mediated by integrin α_IIbβ₃. Thus, no integrin outside-in signaling and reduced CLU release was detected. Accordingly, platelet mediated Aβ fibril formation was not observed. Taken together, the RHDS motif of Aβ is not sufficient for Aβ binding to platelet integrin α_IIbβ₃ and platelet mediated Aβ fibril formation but requires other recognition or binding motifs important for platelet mediated processes in CAA. Thus, increased understanding of the molecular mechanisms of Aβ binding to platelet integrin α_IIbβ₃ is important to understand the role of platelets in amyloid pathology.

Intraneuronal aggregation of the β-CTF fragment of APP (C99) induces Aβ-independent lysosomal-autophagic pathology

Endosomal-autophagic-lysosomal (EAL) dysfunction is an early and prominent neuropathological feature of Alzheimers’s disease, yet the exact molecular mechanisms contributing to this pathology remain undefined. By combined biochemical, immunohistochemical and ultrastructural approaches, we demonstrate a link between EAL pathology and the intraneuronal accumulation of the β-secretase-derived βAPP fragment (C99) in two in vivo models, 3xTgAD mice and adeno-associated viral-mediated C99-infected mice. We present a pathological loop in which the accumulation of C99 is both the effect and causality of impaired lysosomal-autophagic function. The deleterious effect of C99 was found to be linked to its aggregation within EAL-vesicle membranes leading to disrupted lysosomal proteolysis and autophagic impairment. This effect was Aβ independent and was even exacerbated when γ-secretase was pharmacologically inhibited. No effect was observed in inhibitor-treated wild-type animals suggesting that lysosomal dysfunction was indeed directly linked to C99 accumulation. In some brain areas, strong C99 expression also led to inflammatory responses and synaptic dysfunction. Taken together, this work demonstrates a toxic effect of C99 which could underlie some of the early-stage anatomical hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease pathology. Our work also proposes molecular mechanisms likely explaining some of the unfavorable side-effects associated with γ-secretase inhibitor-directed therapies.

Fleshing out the amyloid cascade hypothesis: the molecular biology of Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a disorder of two pathologies- plaques and tangles. The former have as a key constituent amyloid protein and the latter the microtubule-associaied protein tau. Genetics has demonstrated that changes in either protein are sufficient to cause dementia. The amyloid cascade hypothesis proposes that plaque-related changes precede tangle-related changes and positions amyloid as central to the degeneration of AD. All the evidence suggests this is correct, including evidence that presenil ins alter the processing of the amyloid precursor protein and evidence that disrupting the normal properties of tau underlies the related froniotemporal dementias. The amyloid cascade hypothesis has provided the basis for nearly a decade of intensive basic science - the skeleton of that hypothesis can now be fleshed out, and confidence is growing that this will result in useful disease-modifying therapies in the future.

BACE inhibitor reduces APP-beta-C-terminal fragment accumulation in axonal swellings of okadaic acid-induced neurodegeneration

Emerging evidence suggests that not only beta-amyloid but also other amyloid precursor protein (APP) fragments, such as the beta-C-terminal fragment (betaCTF), might be involved in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Treatment of neurons with okadaic acid (OA), a protein phosphatase-2A inhibitor, has been used to induce tau phosphorylation and neuronal death to create a research model of AD. In this study, we analyzed axonopathy and APP regulation in cultured rat neurons treated with OA. After OA treatment, the neurons presented with axonal swellings filled with vesicles, microtubule fragments, and transport molecules such as kinesin and synapsin-I. Western blotting showed that intracellular APP levels were increased and immunocytochemistry using antibodies against the APP C-terminus showed that APP accumulated in the axonal swellings. This APP C-terminus immunoreactivity disappeared when neurons were cotreated with a beta-secretase inhibitor, but not with alpha- or gamma-secretase inhibitors, indicating that the accumulation was primarily composed of APP-betaCTF. These findings provide the first evidence that APP-betaCTF can accumulate in the axons of OA-treated neurons, and may suggest that APP-betaCTF is involved in the pathogenesis of AD.

Sialylation enhances the secretion of neurotoxic amyloid-beta peptides

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by amyloid-beta peptide (Abeta) deposition in the brain. Abeta is produced by sequential cleavage of amyloid precursor protein (APP) by beta-secretase (BACE1: beta-site APP-cleaving enzyme 1) and gamma-secretase. Previously, we demonstrated that BACE1 also cleaves beta-galactoside alpha2,6-sialyltransferase (ST6Gal-I) and down-regulates its transferase activity. Here, we report that overexpression of ST6Gal-I in Neuro2a cells enhanced alpha2,6-sialylation of endogenous APP and increased the extracellular levels of its metabolites [Abeta by two-fold, soluble APPbeta (sAPPbeta) by three-fold and sAPPalpha by 2.5-fold). Sialylation-deficient mutant (Lec-2) cells secreted half as much Abeta as wild-type Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. Furthermore, wild-type CHO cells showed enhanced secretion of the APP metabolites upon ST6Gal-I overexpression, whereas Lec-2 cells did not, indicating that the secretion enhancement requires sialylation of cellular protein(s). Secretion of metabolites from a mutant APP (APP-Asn467,496Ala) that lacked N-glycosylation sites was not enhanced upon ST6Gal-I overexpression, suggesting that the N-glycans on APP itself are required for the enhanced secretion. In the mouse brain, the amount of alpha2,6-sialylated APP appeared to be correlated with the sAPPbeta level. These results suggest that sialylation of APP promotes its metabolic turnover and could affect the pathology of AD.

Pathophysiological roles of amyloidogenic carboxy-terminal fragments of the beta-amyloid precursor protein in Alzheimer's disease

Several lines of evidence suggest that some of the neurotoxicity in Alzheimer's disease (AD) is attributed to proteolytic fragments of amyloid precursor protein (APP) and beta-amyloid (Abeta) may not be the sole active component involved in the pathogenesis of AD. The potential effects of other cleavage products of APP need to be explored. The CTFs, carboxy-terminal fragments of APP, have been found in AD patients' brain and reported to exhibit much higher neurotoxicity in a variety of preparations than Abeta. Furthermore CTFs are known to impair calcium homeostasis and learning and memory through blocking LTP, triggering a strong inflammatory reaction through MAPKs- and NF-kappaB-dependent astrocytosis and iNOS induction. Recently, it was reported that CTF translocated into the nucleus, binding with Fe65 and CP2, and in turn, affected transcription of genes including glycogen synthase kinase-3beta, which results in the induction of tau-rich neurofibrillary tangles and subsequently cell death. Spatial memory of transgenic (Tg) mice overexpressing CT100 was significantly impaired and CTFs were detected in the neurons as well as in plaques of the Tg mice and double Tg mice carrying CT100 and mutant tau. In this review, we summarize observations indicating that both CTF and Abeta may participate in the neuronal degeneration in the progress of AD by differential mechanisms.

Intracellular accumulation of amyloidogenic fragments of amyloid-beta precursor protein in neurons with Niemann-Pick type C defects is associated with endosomal abnormalities

Niemann-Pick type C disease (NPC) is characterized by neurodegeneration secondary to impaired cholesterol trafficking and excessive glycosphingolipid storage. Abnormal cholesterol and ganglioside metabolism may influence the generation and aggregation of amyloidogenic fragments (ie, C99 and Abeta) from amyloid-beta precursor protein (APP), crucial factors causing neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease. To reveal whether abnormal accumulation and aggregation of APP fragments also occurs in NPC, we studied their expression in cultured cortical neurons treated with U18666A, a compound widely used to induce NPC defects, and also in brain tissues from NPC patients. U18666A treatment resulted in increased intraneuronal levels of C99 and insoluble Abeta42, which were distributed among early and late endosomes, in compartments distinct from where endogenous cholesterol accumulates. Analyses of NPC brains revealed that C99 or other APP C-terminal fragments (APP-CTF), but not Abeta42, accumulated in Purkinje cells, mainly in early endosomes. In contrast, in hippocampal pyramidal neurons, the major accumulated species was Abeta42, in late endosomes. Similar to what has been shown in Alzheimer's disease, cathepsin D, a lysosomal hydrolase, was redistributed to early endosomes in NPC Purkinje cells, where it co-localized with C99/APP-CTF. Our results suggest that endosomal abnormalities related to abnormal lipid trafficking in NPC may contribute to abnormal APP processing and Abeta42/C99/APP-CTF deposition.

Novel cognitive improving and neuroprotective activities of Polygala tenuifolia Willdenow extract, BT-11

We carried out this study to search a new active constituent that had cognitive enhancing activity and low side effects from natural source. We found that the extract of dried root of Polygala tenuifolia Willdenow (BT-11, 10 mg/kg, i.p.) could significantly reverse scopolamine-induced cognitive impairments in rat, using a passive avoidance and a water maze test. We also investigated the effects of BT-11 on neurotoxicity induced by glutamate (Glu) and toxic metabolites of amyloid precursor protein (APP) such as amyloid beta protein (A beta) and C-terminal fragment of APP (CT) in primary cultured neurons of rat. The pretreatment of BT-11 (0.5, 3, and 5 micro g/ml) significantly reduced cell death induced by Glu (1 mM), A beta (10 micro M) and CT105 (10 micro M) in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, BT-11 inhibited acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity in a dose-dependent and non-competitive manner (IC(50) value; 263.7 micro g/ml). Our novel findings suggest the possibility that this extract may have some protective effects against neuronal death and cognitive impairments in Alzheimer's disease (AD), or other neurodegenerative diseases related to excitotoxicity and central cholinergic dysfunction.

Effects of intrahippocampal CT105, a carboxyl terminal fragment of beta-amyloid precursor protein, alone/with inflammatory cytokines on working memory in rats

In this study, we examined the effects of a 105 amino acid carboxyl terminal fragment of beta-amyloid precursor protein (CT105) and inflammatory cytokines on working memory in rats, by using a three-panel runway set-up. CT105 at 10 nmol/side significantly impaired working memory when it was administered bilaterally into the hippocampus. Furthermore, to elucidate the interaction of CT105 with inflammatory cytokines, we co-administered tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) in combination with CT105. Concurrent injections of CT105 (1.0 nmol/side) and TNF-alpha (100 ng/side) produced a synergistic deficit of working memory, whereas IL-1beta (100 ng/side) combined with CT105 (1.0 nmol/side) did not affect the working memory performance. These results indicate that the CT105-induced impairment of working memory is strongly aggravated by an increase in the level of the inflammatory cytokine TNF-alpha, which may occur in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease.

Carboxyl-terminal peptide of beta-amyloid precursor protein blocks inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate-sensitive Ca2+ release in Xenopus laevis oocytes

The effects of Alzheimer's disease-related amyloidogenic peptides on inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor-mediated Ca(2+) mobilization were examined in Xenopus laevis oocytes. Intracellular Ca(2+) was monitored by electrophysiological measurement of the endogenous Ca(2+)-activated Cl(-) current. Application of a hyperpolarizing pulse released intracellular Ca(2+) in oocytes primed by pre-injection of a non-metabolizable inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate analogue. The carboxyl terminus of the amyloid precursor protein inhibited inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor-mediated intracellular Ca(2+) release in a dose-dependent manner. Equimolar beta-amyloid peptides Abeta(1-40) or Abeta(1-42) had no effect, and whereas a truncated carboxyl terminus lacking the Abeta domain was equipotent to the full-length one, a carboxyl terminus fragment lacking the NPTY sequence was less effective than the full-length fragment. The inhibition induced by the carboxyl terminus was not associated with the block of the Ca(2+)-dependent Cl(-) channel itself or compromised Ca(2+) influx. We conclude that the carboxyl terminus of the amyloid precursor protein inhibits inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate-sensitive Ca(2+) release and could thus disrupt Ca(2+) homeostasis and that the carboxyl terminus is much more effective than the beta-amyloid fragments used. By perturbing the coupling of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate and Ca(2+) release, the carboxyl terminus of the amyloid precursor protein can potentially be involved in inducing the neural toxicity characteristic of Alzheimer's disease.

Cell death induced by a caspase-cleaved transmembrane fragment of the Alzheimer amyloid precursor protein

The Alzheimer amyloid precursor protein (APP) is a transmembrane protein whose abnormal processing is associated with the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease. Activated caspases cleave APP and generate its carboxyl-terminally truncated fragment (APPdeltaC31). We have previously reported that overexpression of wild-type APP induces caspase-3 activation and apoptosis in postmitotic neurons. We now report that APPdeltaC31 potentially plays pathophysiological roles in neuronal death. Adenovirus-mediated overexpression of wild-type APP695 induced activation of caspase-3 and accumulation of APPdeltaC31 in postmitotic neurons derived from human NT2 embryonal carcinoma cells, whereas an APP mutant lacking the Abeta(1-20) region induced neither caspase-3 activation nor APPdeltaC31 generation. Inhibition of caspase-3 suppressed the generation of APPdeltaC31 in APP-overexpressing neurons. Forced expression of APPdeltaC31 induced apoptotic changes of neurons and non-neuronal cells, but failed to activate caspase-3. The cytotoxicity of APPdeltaC31 was also dependent on the Abeta(1-20) region. These results suggest that accumulation of wild-type APP activates neuronal caspase-3 to generate APPdeltaC31 that mediates caspase-3-independent cell death.

Alzheimer's beta-secretase, beta-site amyloid precursor protein-cleaving enzyme, is responsible for cleavage secretion of a Golgi-resident sialyltransferase

The deposition of amyloid beta-peptide (A beta) in the brain is closely associated with the development of Alzheimer's disease. A beta is generated from the amyloid precursor protein (APP) by sequential action of beta-secretase (BACE1) and gamma-secretase. Although BACE1 is distributed among various other tissues, its physiological substrates other than APP have yet to be identified. ST6Gal I is a sialyltransferase that produces a sialyl alpha 2,6galactose residue, and the enzyme is secreted out of the cell after proteolytic cleavage. We report here that BACE1 is involved in the proteolytic cleavage of ST6Gal I, on the basis of the following observations. ST6Gal I was colocalized with BACE1 in the Golgi apparatus by immunofluorescence microscopy, suggesting that BACE1 acts on ST6Gal I within the same intracellular compartment. When BACE1 was overexpressed with ST6Gal I in COS cells, the secretion of ST6Gal I markedly increased. When APP(SW) (Swedish familial Alzheimer's disease mutation), a preferable substrate for BACE1, was coexpressed with ST6Gal I in COS cells, the secretion of ST6Gal I significantly decreased, suggesting that that the beta-cleavage of overexpressed APP(SW) competes with ST6Gal I processing. In addition, BACE1-Fc (Fc, the hinge and constant region of IgG) chimera cleaved protein A-ST6Gal I fusion protein in vitro. Thus, we conclude that BACE1 is responsible for the cleavage and secretion of ST6Gal I.

Beta-amyloid peptide expression is sufficient for myotube death: implications for human inclusion body myopathy

Inclusion body myositis (sIBM) is the most common disorder of skeletal muscle in aged humans. It shares biochemical features with Alzheimer's disease, including congophilic deposits, which are immunoreactive for beta-amyloid peptide (Abeta) and C'-terminal betaAPP epitopes. However, the etiology of myofiber loss and the role of intracellular Abeta in IBM is unknown. Here we report correlative evidence for apoptotic cell death in myofibers of IBM patients that exhibit pronounced Abeta deposition. HSV-1-mediated gene transfer of Abeta(42) into cultured C2C12 myotubes resulted in a 12.6-fold increase in dUTP-labeled and condensed nuclei over nonexpressing myotubes (P < 0.05). The C'-terminal betaAPP domain C99 also induced myotube apoptosis, but to a significantly lesser extent than Abeta. Apoptosis specific to Abeta-expressing myotubes was also demonstrated through DNA fragmentation, decreased mitochondrial function and the loss of membrane phospholipid polarity. Myotubes laden with Abeta(42), but not other transgene products, developed cytoplasmic inclusions consisting of fibrillar material. Furthermore, injection of normal mouse gastrocnemius muscle with HSV-encoding Abeta cDNA resulted in TUNEL-positive myofibers with pyknotic nuclei. We conclude that Abeta is sufficient to induce apoptosis in myofibers both in vivo and in vitro and suggest it may contribute to myofiber loss and muscle dysfunction in patients with IBM.

Subcellular compartment and molecular subdomain of beta-amyloid precursor protein relevant to the Abeta 42-promoting effects of Alzheimer mutant presenilin 2

Increased production of amyloid beta peptides ending at position 42 (Abeta42) is one of the pathogenic phenotypes caused by mutant forms of presenilins (PS) linked to familial Alzheimer's disease. To identify the subcellular compartment(s) in which familial Alzheimer's disease mutant PS2 (mt PS2) affects the gamma-cleavage of betaAPP to increase Abeta42, we co-expressed the C-terminal 99-amino acid fragment of betaAPP (C100) tagged with sorting signals to the endoplasmic reticulum (C100/ER) or to the trans-Golgi network (C100/TGN) together with mt PS2 in N2a cells. C100/TGN co-transfected with mt PS2 increased levels or ratios of intracellular as well as secreted Abeta42 at similar levels to those with C100 without signals (C100/WT), whereas C100/ER yielded a negligible level of Abeta, which was not affected by co-transfection of mt PS2. To identify the molecular subdomain of betaAPP required for the effects of mt PS2, we next co-expressed C100 variously truncated at the C-terminal cytoplasmic domain together with mt PS2. All types of C-terminally truncated C100 variants including that lacking the entire cytoplasmic domain yielded the secreted form of Abeta at levels comparable with those from C100/WT, and co-transfection of mt PS2 increased the secretion of Abeta42. These results suggest that (i) late intracellular compartments including TGN are the major sites in which Abeta42 is produced and up-regulated by mt PS2 and that (ii) the anterior half of C100 lacking the entire cytoplasmic domain is sufficient for the overproduction of Abeta42 caused by mt PS2.

Alzheimer's disease: a dysfunction of the amyloid precursor protein(1)

In this review, we argue that at least one insult that causes Alzheimer's disease (AD) is disruption of the normal function of the amyloid precursor protein (APP). Familial Alzheimer's disease (FAD) mutations in APP cause a disease phenotype that is identical (with the exception that they cause an earlier onset of the disease) to that of 'sporadic' AD. This suggests that there are molecular pathways common to FAD and sporadic AD. In addition, all individuals with Down syndrome, who carry an extra copy of chromosome 21 and overexpress APP several-fold in the brain, develop the pathology of AD if they live past the age of 40. These data support the primacy of APP in the disease. Although APP is the source of the beta-amyloid (Abeta) that is deposited in amyloid plaques in AD brain, the primacy of APP in AD may not lie in the production of Abeta from this molecule. We suggest instead that APP normally functions in the brain as a cell surface signaling molecule, and that a disruption of this normal function of APP is at least one cause of the neurodegeneration and consequent dementia in AD. We hypothesize in addition that disruption of the normal signaling function of APP causes cell cycle abnormalities in the neuron, and that these abnormalities constitute one mechanism of neuronal death in AD. Data supporting these hypotheses have come from investigations of the molecular consequences of neuronal expression of FAD mutants of APP or overexpression of wild type APP, as well as from identification of binding proteins for the carboxyl-terminus (C-terminus) of APP.

Intracellular site of gamma-secretase cleavage for Abeta42 generation in neuro 2a cells harbouring a presenilin 1 mutation

Previously, we reported that mutations in presenilin 1 (PS1) increased the intracellular levels of amyloid beta-protein (Abeta)42. However, it is still not known at which cellular site or how PS1 mutations exert their effect of enhancing Abeta42-gamma-secretase cleavage. In this study, to clarify the molecular mechanisms underlying this enhancement of Abeta42-gamma-secretase cleavage, we focused on determining the intracellular site of the cleavage. To address this issue, we used APP-C100 encoding the C-terminal beta-amyloid precursor protein (APP) fragment truncated at the N terminus of Abeta (C100); C100 requires only gamma-secretase cleavage to yield Abeta. Mutated PS1 (M146L)-induced Neuro 2a cells showed enhanced Abeta1-42 generation from transiently expressed C100 as well as from full-length APP, whereas the generation of Abeta1-40 was not increased. The intracellular generation of Abeta1-42 from transiently expressed C100 in both mutated PS1-induced and wild-type Neuro 2a cells was inhibited by brefeldin A. Moreover, the generation of Abeta1-42 and Abeta1-40 from a C100 mutant containing a di-lysine endoplasmic reticulum retention signal was greatly decreased, indicating that the major intracellular site of gamma-secretase cleavage is not the endoplasmic reticulum. The intracellular generation of Abeta1-42/40 from C100 was not influenced by monensin treatment, and the level of Abeta1-42/40 generated from C100 carrying a sorting signal for the trans-Golgi network was higher than that generated from wild-type C100. These results using PS1-mutation-harbouring and wild-type Neuro 2a cells suggest that Abeta42/40-gamma-secretase cleavages occur in the Golgi compartment and the trans-Golgi network, and that the PS1 mutation does not alter the intracelluar site of Abeta42-gamma-secretase cleavage in the normal APP proteolytic processing pathway.

Mutational analysis of intrinsic regions of presenilin 2 that determine its endoproteolytic cleavage and pathological function

To investigate the significance of endoproteolytic processing of presenilin 2 (PS2) on its pathological function, we constructed PS2 cDNAs causing amino acid substitutions or deletions around the cleavage site. We found that a PS2 mutant (Del3) with a 20-amino acid deletion was not endoproteolytically processed, while other PS2s with amino acid substitutions and short deletions were cleaved. Overproduction of all the mutant proteins led to a compensatory decrease of endogenous PS1 fragments, but did not affect the amyloid beta peptide X-42/Abeta X-40 ratio without the familial Alzheimer's disease mutation. The Del3 mutant did not exhibit significant deficits in gamma-secretase activity. The turnover rate of the Del3 holoprotein was the same as that of full-length PS2. These data suggest that the determinants of the PS2 cleavage site reside within a large region and that the pathological function of PS2 is exerted by familial Alzheimer's disease mutations not related to the cleavage of holoproteins. We also found that PS2 with an 18-amino acid deletion at the C-terminal end was not processed. Its overexpression led neither to diminished accumulation of endogenous PS1 fragments nor to increased production of amyloid beta peptide X-42. The C-terminal end of PS2 seems to possess the signal for entry into the processing pathway.

Relative sensitivity of undifferentiated and cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate-induced differentiated neuroblastoma cells to cyclosporin A: potential role of beta-amyloid and ubiquitin in neurotoxicity

Cyclosporin A is routinely used in transplant therapy following allogeneic or xenogeneic tissue transplantation to prevent rejection. This immunosuppressive drug is also neurotoxic; however, its mechanisms of action for neurotoxicity are poorly understood. Undifferentiated and cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cAMP)-induced differentiated neuroblastoma (NB) cells were used as an experimental model to study the toxicity of cyclosporin A. Results showed that cyclosporin A promoted the outgrowth of neurites and inhibited the growth of undifferentiated NB cells. When cyclosporin A was added simultaneously with RO20-1724, an inhibitor of cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase, or with prostaglandin E1, a stimulator of adenylate cyclase, it markedly enhanced the growth inhibitory and differentiation effects of these cAMP-stimulating agents. In addition, cyclosporin A added to cAMP-induced differentiated NB cells caused dose-dependent degeneration of these cells as evidenced by the vacuolization of cytoplasm and the fragmentation of nuclear and cytoplasmic materials; however, neurites remained intact. Cyclosporin A alone did not alter the intensity of cell immunostaining for ubiquitin or beta-amyloid peptide (amino acids 1-14) (Abeta1-14); however, it enhanced the intensity of staining for both ubiquitin and Abeta in cells that were treated with cAMP-stimulating agents. The intensity of staining of amyloid precursor protein (amino acids 44-63) (APP44-66) did not change in any treated group, suggesting that the increase in Abeta staining is due to increased processing of APP to Abeta. We propose that one of the mechanisms of cyclosporin A-induced neurotoxicity involves increased levels of Abeta and ubiquitin.

Adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate increases processing of amyloid precursor protein (APP) to beta-amyloid in neuroblastoma cells without changing APP levels or expression of APP mRNA

Beta-Amyloid (Abeta), a 39-43 residue peptide generated by splicing of the amyloid precursor protein (APP), is one of the major components of senile plaques which are the hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD); and therefore, a role of Abeta in neuronal degeneration has been proposed. The factors which regulate the levels of Abeta have not been fully identified. Since an elevation of the intracellular levels of adenosine, 3', 5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) in neuroblastoma cells (NB) induces terminal differentiation, and since these differentiated NB cells undergo spontaneous degeneration, the role of cAMP in the regulation of Abeta levels in these cells have been investigated. In order to determine the specificity of the effect of cAMP on nerve cells, rat glioma cells (C-6) were investigated in a similar manner. Results showed that an elevation of the levels of cAMP in NB cells enhances the intensity of Abeta immunostaining without changing the levels of APP or APP mRNA. This suggests that the rate of processing of APP to Abeta increases following an elevation of cAMP level in NB cells. Data also revealed that an elevation of cAMP level in glioma cells did not alter the intensity of staining with APP or Abeta.

Enhanced BK-induced calcium responsiveness in PC12 cells expressing the C100 fragment of the amyloid precursor protein

Several lines of evidence have implicated the amyloid precursor protein (APP) and its metabolic products as key players in Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathophysiology. The approximately 100 amino acid C-terminal fragment (C100) of APP has been shown to accumulate intracellularly in neurons expressing familial AD (FAD) mutants of APP and to cause neurodegeneration when expressed in transfected neuronal cells. Transgenic animals expressing this fragment in the brain also exhibit some neuropathological and behavioral AD-like deficits. Here, we present evidence that PC12 cells expressing the C100 fragment either via stable transfections or herpes simplex virus-mediated infections show alterations in calcium handling that are similar to those previously shown in fibroblasts from AD patients. This alteration in calcium homeostasis may contribute to the deleterious effects of C100 in PC12 cells. Our data also lend support for a pathophysiological role for C100 since it induces an alteration thought to play an important role in AD pathology.

Activation of neuronal caspase-3 by intracellular accumulation of wild-type Alzheimer amyloid precursor protein

Forced overexpression of wild-type Alzheimer amyloid precursor protein (APP) causes postmitotic neurons to degenerate. Caspase-3 (CPP32) is a principal cell death protease involved in neuronal apoptosis during physiological development and under pathological conditions. Here, we investigated whether APP overexpression activates caspase-3 in human postmitotic neurons using adenovirus-mediated gene transfer. When a recombinant adenovirus vector expressing human wild-type APP695 was infected in vitro into neurally differentiated embryonal carcinoma NT2 cells, only postmitotic neurons underwent severe degeneration. Before neurodegeneration, full-length APP- and Abeta-immunoreactive peptides were accumulated in infected neurons, and caspase-3-like protease activity was markedly elevated. Western blot analysis revealed that activated caspase-3 subunits were generated in APP-accumulating neurons. Such neuronal caspase-3 activation was undetectable in NT2 neurons infected with beta-galactosidase-expressing adenovirus. Addition of the caspase-3 inhibitor acetyl-Asp-Glu-Val-Asp-aldehyde to the culture medium significantly reduced the severity of degeneration exhibited by APP-overexpressing neurons. Immunocytochemical analyses revealed that some APP-accumulating neurons contained activated caspase-3 subunits and exhibited the characteristics of apoptosis, such as chromatin condensation and DNA fragmentation. Activation of caspase-3 was also observed in vivo in rat hippocampal neurons infected with the APP-expressing adenovirus. These results suggest that wild-type APP is an intrinsic activator of caspase-3-mediated death machinery in postmitotic neurons.

A betaPP peptide carboxyl-terminal to Abeta is neurotoxic

Extracellular Abeta-amyloid and intraneuronal paired helical filaments (PHFs) composed of tau protein are the neuropathological hallmark of Alzheimer's disease. Abeta is a 39- to 43-residue peptide derived by cleavage of a 695- to 770-amino-acid membrane-associate glycoprotein (termed beta-protein precursor, betaPP). Following the observation that an antiserum to an epitope located between residues 713 and 723 of betaPP770 (ie, the transmembrane region of the betaPP distal to Abeta) labels PHFs and that a synthetic peptide homologous to residues 713 to 730 of betaPP770 (betaPP713-730) is highly fibrillogenic and interacts with tau in vitro, it has been hypothesized that betaPP fragments other than Abeta may feature in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease concurring with neuronal degeneration. To investigate this issue, we have analyzed the effects of the exposure of primary neuronal cultures to the synthetic peptide betaPP713-730. Cultures were prepared from rat hippocampus on embryonic day 17 and incubated with the peptide at 2.5 to 30 micromol/L concentration for 1 to 4 days. Cell viability was compared with that of control cultures exposed to a scrambled sequence of the peptide. A 4-day exposure to 20 micromol/L betaPP713-730 resulted in almost complete neuronal loss, whereas no changes were observed with the scrambled peptide. Degenerating neurons showed DNA fragmentation by agarose gel electrophoresis and apoptotic changes by light and electron microscopy. These findings support the view that betaPP sequences other than Abeta may play a role in nerve cell degeneration in Alzheimer's disease.

Experimental brain injury induces expression of amyloid precursor protein, which may be related to neuronal loss in the hippocampus

Previous reports have demonstrated that some focal brain injuries increase amyloid precursor protein (APP) immunoreactivity in the region surrounding the injury where it was localized, in damaged axons and in pre-alpha 2 cells of the entorhinal cortex. However, to date, APP expression in the hippocampus remote from the impact site has not been comprehensively studied. Therefore, we have evaluated APP expression not only in the locally injured cerebral cortex but also in the hippocampus remote from the impact site. In the present paper, diffuse axonal injury was induced in rats in midline fluid percussion injury. APP expression was examined post injury using Western blot analysis and immunohistochemistry. Western blot analysis demonstrated that the expression of 100-kd APP was increased in both the cerebral cortex and hippocampus 24 h after injury. It then decreased in the hippocampus, but did not change in the cerebral cortex, 7 days after injury. Immunohistochemical studies showed increased immunoreactivity of APP in the neuronal perikarya and reactive astrocytes near the region of injury in the cerebral cortex 24 h to 7 days after injury. In the hippocampus, APP accumulated in the CA3 neurons 24 h and 3 days after injury, although no hemorrhagic lesions were seen at that site. The APP positive neurons in CA3 showed shrunken cell bodies and pyknotic nuclei 3 days after injury, and some of the neurons in CA3 had disappeared by 7 days postinjury. The results of present study suggest that traumatic brain injury induces overexpression and accumulation of APP in neuronal perikarya and that these events are followed by degeneration of CA3 neurons. Further, the decline in APP expression in the hippocampus is thought to be due to neuronal loss in CA3 subsector.

Phosphorylation and spatiotemporal distribution of KW8 (NDRF/NeuroD2), a NeuroD family basic helix-loop-helix protein

KW8, a NeuroD family basic helix-loop-helix protein, was initially cloned during the course of screening for the genes related to long term potentiation in rat hippocampal slice. Its homologue NDRF/NeuroD was also reported. In this report its phosphorylation and spatiotemporal distribution was studied. KW8 was expressed not only during embryonic and neonatal periods but also in adults. In adult, KW8 was expressed only in brain tissues, such as the cerebral cortex, hippocampus and cerebellum. Immunohistological studies revealed that KW8 was localized in the nuclei of neurons. On immunoblotting of rat brain tissue, COS-1 cells and Neuro2A cells overexpressing KW8, this protein was detected as several diffuse bands. Alkaline phosphatase treatment reduced the molecular weights of these bands. Metabolic labeling with 32Pi in COS-1 cells confirmed that the KW8 protein was phosphorylated in vivo. Some of the physiological functions of KW8 might be regulated by this phosphorylation. In yeast, the GAL4 fusion protein containing the C-terminal region of KW8 activated transcription of the reporter gene, suggesting that KW8 had transcriptional activity.

Subcellular localization of the Alzheimer's disease amyloid precursor protein and derived polypeptides expressed in a recombinant yeast system

Different isoforms and derived polypeptides of the Alzheimer's disease amyloid protein precursor (A beta PP) have been expressed in the yeast Pichia pastoris. The expression characteristics of the different A beta PP polypeptides were studied by post-embedding immunogold electron microscopy with various A beta PP antibodies. The site of intracellular expression could be readily identified with specific antibodies. Full length A beta PP was expressed in association with the nuclear membrane and the endoplasmic reticulum. Secretory derivatives of A beta PP were localized in membrane-bound secretory vesicles. A construct encoding two copies of beta A4[1-42] linked head-to-tail (beta A4duplex) accumulated as irregular dense cytoplasmic and intranuclear inclusions which reacted with all beta A4 antibodies tested. A beta A4-C-terminal construct accumulated into membranous structures in the cytoplasm and nucleus and reacted with most antibodies to beta A4 and the cytoplasmic domain of A beta PP. The two shorter constructs containing the beta A4 sequence formed similar intranuclear aggregates to those reported for intranuclear inclusions of polyglutamine peptides from huntingtin (in Huntington's disease) and ataxin protein fragments (in spinocerebellar ataxia). This is of interest because intracellular aggregation of the polyglutamine and beta A4 peptides may affect cells by similar toxic mechanisms. These studies demonstrate clear differences in the expression properties of different A beta PP polypeptides.

Degeneration in vivo of rat hippocampal neurons by wild-type Alzheimer amyloid precursor protein overexpressed by adenovirus-mediated gene transfer

In an attempt to elucidate the pathological implications of intracellular accumulation of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) in postmitotic neurons in vivo, we transferred APP695 cDNA into rat hippocampal neurons by using a replication-defective adenovirus vector. We first improved the efficiency of adenovirus-mediated gene transfer into neurons in vivo by using hypertonic mannitol. When a beta-galactosidase-expressing recombinant adenovirus suspended in 1 M mannitol was injected into a dorsal hippocampal region, a number of neurons in remote areas were positively stained, presumably owing to increased retrograde transport of the virus. When an APP695-expressing adenovirus was injected into the same site, part of the infected neurons in the hippocampal formation underwent severe degeneration in a few days, whereas astrocytes near the injection site showed no apparent degeneration. These degenerating neurons accumulated different epitopes of APP, and beta/A4 protein (Abeta)-immunoreactive materials were undetected in the extracellular space. A small number of degenerating neurons showed nuclear DNA fragmentation. Electron microscopic examinations demonstrated that degenerating neurons had shrunken perikarya along with synaptic abnormalities. Microglial cells/macrophages were often found in close proximity to degenerating neurons, and in some cases they phagocytosed these neurons. These results suggest that intracellular accumulation of wild-type APP695 causes a specific type of neuronal degeneration in vivo in the absence of extracellular Abeta deposition.

A novel brain gene, norbin, induced by treatment of tetraethylammonium in rat hippocampal slice and accompanied with neurite-outgrowth in neuro 2a cells

Tetraethylammonium (TEA) induces long-term potentiation (LTP)-like synaptic enhancement in rat hippocampal slices. To find the genes related to this phenomenon, subtraction screening was performed between the mRNA of TEA-treated slices and that of untreated whole brain. One of the clones induced by the TEA treatment, named as norbin, was expressed only in neural tissues. The predicted protein sequence of norbin consisted of 729 amino acids, and no homologies in the sequence were found with known genes or proteins. Overexpression of norbin in cultured Neuro 2a cells by cDNA transfection induced neurite-outgrowth. Since in the course of neural plasticity the formation of new synapses should occur, the neurite-outgrowth-related protein, norbin, might play an important role in neural plasticity.

Neuronal expression of beta-amyloid precursor protein Alzheimer mutations causes intracellular accumulation of a C-terminal fragment containing both the amyloid beta and cytoplasmic domains

Five different Alzheimer mutations of the beta-amyloid precursor protein (APP) were expressed in neurons via recombinant herpes simplex virus (HSV) vectors, and the levels of APP metabolites were quantified. The predominant intracellular accumulation product was a C-terminal fragment of APP that co-migrated with the protein product of an HSV recombinant expressing the C-terminal 100 amino acids (C100) of APP, which is known to cause neurodegeneration. Fractionation studies revealed that the C-terminal fragment generated by expression of the Alzheimer mutations, like C100, partitioned into membrane fractions and was particularly enriched in synaptosomes. The processing abnormality caused by expression of the Alzheimer mutations occurs predominantly in neurons. Expression of these mutations or of C100 alone in neurons caused increased secretion of Abeta relative to that of neurons infected with wild type APP recombinant vectors. These data show that expression of APP mutations that cause familial Alzheimer's disease increases the intracellular accumulation of potentially amyloidogenic and neurotoxic C-terminal fragments of APP in neurons.

Inhibition of amyloid formation: a strategy to delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease

Converging evidence suggests that the formation of amyloid plaques may play a central role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease and that blocking amyloid formation may be an effective therapeutic strategy.

Neuronal cell death in Alzheimer's disease correlates with apoE uptake and intracellular Abeta stabilization

The brains of individuals with Alzheimer's disease (AD) are characterized by extracellular deposition of beta-amyloid protein (Abeta), intracellular neurofibrillary tangles, and loss of neurons. To study molecular markers associated with dying cells in the AD brain, in situ DNA labeling techniques were used to visualize cells with DNA fragmentation. We observed that intracellular accumulation of apolipoprotein E (apoE) is correlated with the detection of intracellular Abeta-like immunoreactivity within the same cytoplasmic granules, suggesting that uptake of lipids may have stabilized the hydrophobic Abeta protein within the cell. These apoE-containing neurons also exhibit high expression of a cell surface receptor, gp330, which is known to bind apoE. Cells containing significant nuclear DNA fragmentation express the highest level of cell surface gp330. Extracellular deposition of Abeta is detected only upon neuronal cell death, initially as halos of Abeta immunoreactivity around individual dying neurons, and subsequently as Abeta plaques containing numerous neuronal cell ghosts. Based on our in situ analysis of nuclear DNA fragmentation, we conclude that neuronal cell death likely occurs before the extracellular deposition of Abeta in AD brains.

The presenilin 2 mutation (N141I) linked to familial Alzheimer disease (Volga German families) increases the secretion of amyloid beta protein ending at the 42nd (or 43rd) residue

To gain insights into the significance of presenilins (PS) in the pathogenetic mechanisms of early-onset familial Alzheimer disease (FAD), we expressed cDNAs for wild-type PS2 and PS2 with the Volga German (N141I) mutation in cultured cells and then examined the metabolism of the transfected proteins and their effect on the C-terminal properties of secreted amyloid beta protein (A beta). PS2 was identified as a 50- to 55-kDa protein, which was cleaved to produce N-terminal fragments of 35-40 kDa and C-terminal fragments of 19-23 kDa. The Volga German (N141I) mutation did not cause any significant change in the metabolism of PS2. COS-1 cells doubly transfected with cDNAs for N141I mutant PS2 and human beta-amyloid precursor protein (betaAPP) or a C-terminal fragment thereof, as well as mouse Neuro2a neuroblastoma cells stably transfected with N141I mutant PS2 alone, secreted 1.5- to 10-fold more A beta ending at residues 42 (or 43) [A beta42(43)] compared with those expressing the wild-type PS2. These results strongly suggest that the PS2 mutation (N141I) linked to FAD alters the metabolism of A beta/betaAPP to foster the production of the form of A beta that most readily deposits in amyloid plaques. Thus, mutant PS2 may lead to AD by altering the metabolism of A beta/betaAPP.

Generation of Alzheimer amyloid beta peptide through nonspecific proteolysis

Polymerization of Alzheimer amyloid beta peptide (Abeta) into amyloid fibrils is associated with resistance to proteolysis and tissue deposition. Here, it was investigated whether Abeta might be generated as a protease-resistant core from a polymerized precursor. A 100-amino acid C-terminal fragment of the Alzheimer beta-amyloid precursor protein (C100), containing the Abeta and cytoplasmic domains, polymerized both when inserted into membranes and after purification. When subjected to digestion using the nonspecific enzyme proteinase K, the cytoplasmic domain of C100 was degraded, whereas the Abeta domain remained intact. In contrast, dissociated C100 polymers were almost completely degraded by proteinase K. Mammalian cells transfected with the human Alzheimer beta-amyloid precursor gene contained a fragment corresponding to C100, which needed similar harsh conditions to be dissolved, as did polymers formed by purified C100. Hence, it was concluded that C100 polymers are formed in mammalian cells. These results suggest that the C terminus of Abeta can be generated by nonspecific proteases, acting on a polymerized substrate, rather than a specific gamma-secretase. This offers an explanation of how the Abeta peptide can be formed in organelles containing proteases capable of cleaving most peptide bonds.

Evidence that the 42- and 40-amino acid forms of amyloid beta protein are generated from the beta-amyloid precursor protein by different protease activities

Cerebral deposition of the amyloid beta protein (A beta) is an early and invariant feature of Alzheimer disease (AD). Whereas the 40-amino acid form of A beta (A beta 40) accounts for approximately 90% of all A beta normally released from cells, it appears to contribute only to later phases of the pathology. In contrast, the longer more amyloidogenic 42-residue form (A beta 42), accounting for only approximately 10% of secreted A beta, is deposited in the earliest phase of AD and remains the major constituent of most amyloid plaques throughout the disease. Moreover, its levels have been shown to be increased in all known forms of early-onset familial AD. Thus, inhibition of A beta 42 production is a prime therapeutic goal. The same protease, gamma-secretase, is assumed to generate the C termini of both A beta 40 and A beta 42. Herein, we analyze the effect of the compound MDL 28170, previously suggested to inhibit gamma-secretase, on beta-amyloid precursor protein processing. By immunoprecipitating conditioned medium of different cell lines with various A beta 40- and A beta 42-specific antibodies, we demonstrate a much stronger inhibition of the gamma-secretase cleavage at residue 40 than of that at residue 42. These data suggest that different proteases generate the A beta 40 and A beta 42 C termini. Further, they raise the possibility of identifying compounds that do not interfere with general beta-amyloid precursor protein metabolism, including A beta 40 production, but specifically block the generation of the pathogenic A beta 42 peptide.

Cytotoxic fragment of amyloid precursor protein accumulates in hippocampus after global forebrain ischemia

We developed an antibody specific to beta-amyloid precursor protein (beta APP) fragments possessing the exact amino terminus of the beta-amyloid peptide and examined its induction in postischemic hippocampus. In control hippocampus, this APP fragment was lightly observed in pyramidal neurons of CA sectors and dentate granule cells. Transient forebrain ischemia enhanced accumulation of the APP fragment in CA1 pyramidal neurons. Seven days after the ischemia, while the APP fragment was still observed in dentate granule cells and CA3 neurons, it disappeared in dead CA1 neurons. While astrocytes did not show in any immunoreactivity throughout the experiment, those in the CA1 sector showed moderate immunoreactivity 7 days after the ischemia. The APP fragment has a cytotoxic effect on cultured neurons. These results suggest that the accumulation of the cytotoxic APP fragment in CA1 neurons may play a role in the development of delayed neuronal death after the ischemic insult.

Canine leptomeningeal organ culture: a new experimental model for cerebrovascular beta-amyloidosis

Cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) is a neuropathological feature of Alzheimer's disease and a common cause of cerebral hemorrhage in the elderly. The pathogenetic mechanisms leading to the deposition of Alzheimer amyloid beta-protein (A beta) in cortical and leptomeningeal vessel walls are unknown. There are no experimental models which reproduce the pathological changes of CAA. In this study, leptomeninges from young and old dogs with pre-existing CAA were cultured in cell culture medium or cerebrospinal fluid and their viability, histological appearance and metabolic activity were analyzed during the culture. In addition, living leptomeninges of old and young dogs were incubated with fluorescein-conjugated A beta and the uptake of A beta was studied by fluorescence microscopy. Leptomeninges from young and old dogs were viable up to 8 weeks in culture. They contain many small- and medium-sized arterioles, the main vessel type affected by CAA. Histology and immunohistochemistry showed excellent preservation of the vessel wall microarchitecture up to 4 weeks in culture. The cultures were metabolically active as shown by the de novo production of beta-amyloid precursor protein. Exogenously added A beta was focally deposited in the vessel walls of old, but not young dogs. In conclusion, the organ culture of canine leptomeninges is easy to perform and appears suitable to investigate the pathogenesis and the progression of CAA.

Expression of apolipoprotein E inhibits aggregation of the C-terminal fragments of beta-amyloid precursor protein

An important role of apolipoprotein E in the amyloidogenesis of Alzheimer's disease is suggested by an accumulation of apolipoprotein E in beta-amyloid plaques and a genetic association between Alzheimer's disease and one of the allelic variants (APOE4) of apolipoprotein E. Overexpression of a C-terminal region of beta-amyloid precursor protein brings about aggregation of the C-terminal fragments in COS cells. This COS cell culture system was used to study effects of apolipoprotein E on aggregation of the C-terminal fragments. When both apolipoprotein E and the C-terminal fragments were overexpressed in COS cells, Western blot analyses revealed significant inhibition of aggregation of the C-terminal fragments. No significant differences between apolipoprotein E3 and E4 in the inhibitory activities were found by this method. Apolipoprotein E may inhibit formation of amyloid fibrils.

Induction of connexin43 and gap junctional communication in PC12 cells overexpressing the carboxy terminal region of amyloid precursor protein

Previous studies have shown that PC12 cells overexpressing beta/A4 amyloid peptide display altered morphology characterized by pronounced membrane ruffling and extensive intercellular appositions. Having observed other cell types in which these features accompany increased connexin43 (Cx43) production and gap junctional communication, we examined Cx43 in normal and beta/A4-transfected PC12 cells. Studies of two beta/A4-transfected PC12 clones revealed an induction of Cx43 expression by Western blotting, intracellular and plasma membrane-associated Cx43 in some cells of cultures processed by immunofluorescence, dye-transfer between some cells microinjected with Lucifer Yellow, and gap junctions between cells examined by EM. Normal and vector-transfected PC12 cells exhibited none of these properties. Increased immunofluorescence in some clusters of beta/A4-transfected cells was also observed with a monoclonal antibody against connexin32. The results suggest that beta/A4 amyloid peptide may cause aberrant intercellular communication and gap junction formation through induction or increased expression of connexins in cells that are not normally coupled or only poorly coupled by gap junctions.

Expression of the C terminus of the amyloid precursor protein alters growth factor responsiveness in stably transfected PC12 cells

The amyloid precursor protein (APP) is a molecule centrally involved in Alzheimer disease pathology, but whose normal function is still poorly understood. To investigate the consequences of increased intracellular production of various regions of APP on cellular physiology, we stably transfected PC12 cells with the C-terminal 100 amino acids of the human APP. In eight transfected clones that express the APP(C100) protein, exposure to nerve growth factor (NGF) did not promote differentiation. Transfectants continued to divide and failed to elaborate extensive neurites, whereas control PC12 cells, mock-transfected PC12 cells, and a nonexpressing transfected cell line did develop neurites and stopped dividing after NGF stimulation. Unlike NGF treatment, treatment with basic fibroblast growth factor profoundly accelerated neurite outgrowth in transfected cells. Also, a dramatic increase in a tyrosine phosphatase activity was noted. Expression and accumulation of APP C100 protein in PC12 cells results in an abnormal response to growth factor stimulation.

Transgenic mice expressing APP-C100 in the brain

The classic hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease are the deposition of amyloid in plaques and in the cerebrovasculature, and the emergence of neurofibrillary tangles in neurons. The interplay between these two pathologic processes, on the one hand, and the degeneration of neurons and loss of cognitive functions on the other, remains incompletely understood. We have proposed that one crucial component of this interplay is a fragment of the Alzheimer amyloid protein precursor (APP) comprising the carboxyterminal 100 amino acids of this molecule, which we term APP-C100 (or, more simply, C100). This fragment, which comprises the 42-amino acid amyloid protein (A beta) and an additional 58 amino acids carboxyterminal to it, was found to be toxic specifically to nerve cells in vitro. We developed transgenic mouse models to test the hypothesis that APP-C100 causes Alzheimer's disease neuropathology. APP-C100 was delivered to the mouse brain via a transgene expressing C100 under the control of the dystrophin brain promoter. These transgenic animal models for the action of APP-C100 in the brain exhibited some of the neuropathological features characteristic of Alzheimer disease brain. The animal models that we have created can be used to test hypotheses concerning the mechanism by which C100 interacts with a neuronal receptor to kill neurons.

Changes in expression of lymphocyte amyloid precursor protein mRNA isoforms in normal aging and Alzheimer's disease

We measured, by employing a quantitative reverse-transcriptase PCR procedure, the relative (to beta-actin) levels of amyloid precursor protein APP751 and APP770 mRNA isoforms in lymphocytes obtained from 64 cognitively intact subjects ranging in ages from 20 to 91 years and in 19 patients with sporadic Alzheimer's disease. A positive correlation was observed between the relative lymphocyte APP751 mRNA levels and subject age for the cognitively intact cohort. No difference in lymphocyte APP751 mRNA levels was observed between Alzheimer's disease patients and their age-matched controls (> 55 years of age). However, the ratio of lymphocyte APP751:APP770 mRNA levels was significantly lower in Alzheimer's disease subjects compared to the > 55-year-old cohort. This decreased ratio is most likely due to an average 31% increase in the lymphocyte APP770 isoform in Alzheimer's disease patients compared to 12% in the > 55-year-old cognitively intact group. Marked individual differences in amount of APP mRNA isoforms were encountered among all the subject groups and in the < or = 55-year-old cohort, a 10-fold variation in individual APP751 mRNA levels was observed. The relevance of these findings in lymphocytes to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease is discussed.

Overexpressed tau protein in cultured cells is phosphorylated without formation of PHF: implication of phosphoprotein phosphatase involvement

Pyramidal neurons in affected regions of Alzheimer's disease (AD) brain contain neurofibrillary tangles (NFT), aggregates of paired helical filaments (PHF) composed mainly of phosphorylated microtubule-associated protein tau. To explore the role of tau phosphorylation in the aggregation of tau into PHF, we constructed mammalian cell culture systems producing high levels of intracellular phosphorylated tau. COS-1 fibroblast-like cells were transiently transfected to simultaneously express tau, MAP kinase (MAPK), and MAP kinase kinase (MAPKK), or alternatively to express tau and glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3). B103 neuron-like cells (which contain MAPK but little tau or GSK3) were stably transfected to express tau or tau and GSK3. In both systems, GSK3-transfected cells contained tau AT8/M (defined by AT8 staining and tau PHF-like mobility), but MAPK-transfected cells required phosphatase inhibitors, such as okadaic acid (OKA) or calyculin (CAL), to produce tau AT8/M. In vitro, the same concentrations of CAL and OKA inhibit phosphatases 1 and 2A (PP1 and PP2A), except that 100-1000 times as much OKA is needed to inhibit PP1. Inducing tau phosphorylation at the AT8 site in MAPK-transfected cells required 2-10 times more OKA than CAL, suggesting both PP1 and PP2A helped block the phosphorylation. Though levels of tau AT8/M reached 2-8% of total cellular proteins in COS-1 cells, the ratio of particulate to supernatant tau levels did not increase, and no tangles were observed; perhaps post-translational modifications or co-aggregating proteins are needed to induce PHF.

Secretory cleavage of beta-amyloid precursor protein in the cerebral white matter produces amyloidogenic carboxyl-terminal fragments

To elucidate the metabolic process generating amyloid-beta protein (A beta) from beta-amyloid precursor protein (APP) in human brain, we partially purified secretory forms and carboxyl-terminal fragments (CTFs) of APP from the white matter of a Down's syndrome brain. We obtained secretory forms of APP which lack the entire A beta sequence and CTFs which contain the full-length A beta from the cerebral white matter. Some A beta-lacking secretory APP isoforms in the white matter were derived from APP695. These results suggest that amyloidogenic CTFs can be produced by secretory cleavage of APP which is anterogradely transported through the axon in human brain.

The Alzheimer's A beta peptide induces neurodegeneration and apoptotic cell death in transgenic mice

To test whether the hypothesis that the Alzheimer's A beta peptide is neurotoxic, we introduced a transgene into mice to direct expression of this peptide to neurons. We show that the transgene is expressed in brain regions which are severely affected in Alzheimer's disease resulting in extensive neuronal degeneration. Morphological and biochemical evidence indicates that the eventual death of these cells occurs by apoptosis. Coincident with the cell degeneration and cell death is the presence of a striking reactive gliosis. Over 50% of the transgenic mice die by 12 months of age, half the normal life span of control mice. These data show that A beta is neurotoxic in vivo and suggest that apoptosis may be responsible for the accompanying neuronal loss, the principal underlying cellular feature of Alzheimer's disease.