Studies of Drosophila and mammals have revealed the importance of insulin signaling through phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and the serine/threonine kinase Akt/protein kinase B for the regulation of cell, organ, and organismal growth. In mammals, three highly conserved proteins, Akt1, Akt2, and Akt3, comprise the Akt family, of which the first two are required for normal growth and metabolism, respectively. Here we address the function of Akt3. Like Akt1, Akt3 is not required for the maintenance of normal carbohydrate metabolism but is essential for the attainment of normal organ size. However, in contrast to Akt1 ؊/؊ mice, which display a proportional decrease in the sizes of all organs, Akt3 ؊/؊ mice present a selective 20% decrease in brain size. Moreover, although Akt1-and Akt3-deficient brains are reduced in size to approximately the same degree, the absence of Akt1 leads to a reduction in cell number, whereas the lack of Akt3 results in smaller and fewer cells. Finally, mammalian target of rapamycin signaling is attenuated in the brains of Akt3؊/؊ but not Akt1 ؊/؊ mice, suggesting that differential regulation of this pathway contributes to an isoform-specific regulation of cell growth.While complex organisms grow toward determinate final sizes, there must be precise regulation within each tissue as well as coordination among organs to reach these final sizes (18,24). The regulation of both cell number and size contributes to the establishment of organ size, whereas cell number appears to be predominant in determining differences between species. Several factors, including circulating hormones and metabolites as well as cell-autonomous signaling cascades, control these processes (31). One of the key extracellular effectors determining organismal size is insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1). As demonstrated by genetic studies with mice, IGF1 is required for normal embryonic and postnatal growth (4,43,44,59). In addition, IGF1 controls the sizes of individual organs (43, 59). For example, normal brain growth requires IGF1 (6, 43), as IGF1-deficient brains are reduced in size secondary to a decrease in both cell number and cell size (6,15). Similarly, humans with IGF1 deficiency display severe growth retardation and suffer from mental retardation (75).In addition to extracellular factors, the intracellular signaling pathways determining growth are being uncovered. IGF1 acts through the type 1 IGF receptor to modulate an evolutionarily conserved pathway of molecules involved in the regulation of growth and metabolism (38,53). For many hormones, including IGF1 and insulin, binding to a receptor stimulates its protein tyrosine kinase activity, leading to the phosphorylation of scaffold proteins of the insulin receptor substrate (IRS) family. IRS proteins assemble complexes that include a number of potential signaling proteins, of which the lipid kinase phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) appears to be the most critical for the maintenance of cell size and proliferation (10). PI3K catalyzes the generation of phospha...

Mutations in presenilins (PS) are the major cause of familial Alzheimer's disease (FAD) and have been associated with calcium (Ca2+) signaling abnormalities. Here, we demonstrate that FAD mutant PS1 (M146L)and PS2 (N141I) interact with the inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor (InsP3R) Ca2+ release channel and exert profound stimulatory effects on its gating activity in response to saturating and suboptimal levels of InsP3. These interactions result in exaggerated cellular Ca2+ signaling in response to agonist stimulation as well as enhanced low-level Ca2+signaling in unstimulated cells. Parallel studies in InsP3R-expressing and -deficient cells revealed that enhanced Ca2+ release from the endoplasmic reticulum as a result of the specific interaction of PS1-M146L with the InsP3R stimulates amyloid beta processing,an important feature of AD pathology. These observations provide molecular insights into the "Ca2+ dysregulation" hypothesis of AD pathogenesis and suggest novel targets for therapeutic intervention.

Epidemiological studies show that some nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, nonspecific inhibitors of the cyclooxygenase enzyme, reduce the incidence of Alzheimer's disease (AD). We determined the impact of two nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs on A beta levels, deposition, and metabolism in a mouse model (the Tg2576) of AD-like amyloidosis. To this end, mice were treated with indomethacin and nimesulide continuously from 8 months of age until they were 15 months old. At the end of the study, indomethacin significantly reduced A beta(1-40) and A beta(1-42) levels in both cortex and hippocampus. This decrease was coincidental with a significant reduction of the nuclear factor (NF)-kappa B activity. By contrast, nimesulide had no effect on both A beta peptides and NF-kappa B. Consistently, mice receiving indomethacin, but no nimesulide, showed a significant reduction in the amyloid burden compared with placebo. Neither drug had an effect on plasma levels of A beta peptides or the A beta precursor protein metabolism. In vitro studies confirmed that genetic absence of this factor reduces the anti-amyloidogenic effect of indomethacin. These findings indicate that chronic administration of indomethacin by blocking the activation of the NF-kappa B significantly reduces the amyloid pathology in Tg2576 mice, and provide insights into the mechanisms by which this drug could slow progression of AD.

Alzheimer's disease is the public health crisis of the 21st century. There is a clear need for a widely available, inexpensive and reliable method to diagnosis Alzheimer's disease in the earliest stages, track disease progression, and accelerate clinical development of new therapeutics. One avenue of research being explored is blood based biomarkers. In April 2012, the Alzheimer's Association and the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation convened top scientists from around the world to discuss the state of blood based biomarker development. This manuscript summarizes the meeting and the resultant discussion, including potential next steps to move this area of research forward.

Animal models have contributed significantly to our understanding of the underlying biological mechanisms of Alzheimer's disease (AD). As a result, over 300 interventions have been investigated and reported to mitigate pathological phenotypes or improve behavior in AD animal models or both. To date, however, very few of these findings have resulted in target validation in humans or successful translation to disease-modifying therapies. Challenges in translating preclinical studies to clinical trials include the inability of animal models to recapitulate the human disease, variations in breeding and colony maintenance, lack of standards in design, conduct and analysis of animal trials, and publication bias due to under-reporting of negative results in the scientific literature. The quality of animal model research on novel therapeutics can be improved by bringing the rigor of human clinical trials to animal studies. Research communities in several disease areas have developed recommendations for the conduct and reporting of preclinical studies in order to increase their validity, reproducibility, and predictive value. To address these issues in the AD community, the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation partnered with Charles River Discovery Services (Morrisville, NC, USA) and Cerebricon Ltd. (Kuopio, Finland) to convene an expert advisory panel of academic, industry, and government scientists to make recommendations on best practices for animal studies testing investigational AD therapies. The panel produced recommendations regarding the measurement, analysis, and reporting of relevant AD targets, th choice of animal model, quality control measures for breeding and colony maintenance, and preclinical animal study design. Major considerations to incorporate into preclinical study design include a priori hypotheses, pharmacokinetics-pharmacodynamics studies prior to proof-of-concept testing, biomarker measurements, sample size determination, and power analysis. The panel also recommended distinguishing between pilot 'exploratory' animal studies and more extensive 'therapeutic' studies to guide interpretation. Finally, the panel proposed infrastructure and resource development, such as the establishment of a public data repository in which both positive animal studies and negative ones could be reported. By promoting best practices, these recommendations can improve the methodological quality and predictive value of AD animal studies and make the translation to human clinical trials more efficient and reliable.

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Tocopherol transfer protein (TTP) is a key regulator of vitamin E homeostasis. TTP is presumed to function by transporting the hydrophobic vitamin between cellular compartments, thus facilitating its secretion to the extracellular space. Indeed, recombinant TTP demonstrates marked ability to facilitate tocopherol transfer between lipid bilayers. We report the biochemical characterization of six missense mutations TTP(1) that are found in human AVED patients. We expressed the H101Q, A120T, R192H, R59W, E141K, and R221W TTP mutants in Escherichia coli, and purified the proteins to homogeneity. We then characterized TTP and its mutant counterparts with respect to their affinity for RRR-alpha-tocopherol and to their ability to catalyze tocopherol transfer between membranes. We observe the R59W, E141K, and R221W mutations, associated with the severe, early-onset version of AVED, are impaired in tocopherol binding and transfer activity. Surprisingly, despite the profound clinical effect of the R59W, E141K, and R221W mutations in vivo, their impact on TTP activity in vitro is quite benign (2-3-fold reduction in transfer kinetics). Furthermore, mutations associated with milder forms of the AVED disease, while causing pronounced perturbations in tocopherol homeostasis in vivo, are remarkably similar to the wild-type protein in the tocopherol transfer assays in vitro. Our data indicate that tocopherol transfer activity in vitro does not properly recapitulate the physiological functions of TTP. These findings suggest the possibility that the AVED syndrome may not arise from an inability of TTP to bind or to transfer alpha tocopherol, but rather from defects in other activities of the protein.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) amyloid plaques are composed of amyloid-␤ (A␤) peptides produced from proteolytic cleavage of amyloid precursor protein (APP). Isoprostanes, markers of in vivo oxidative stress, are elevated in AD patients and in the Tg2576 mouse model of AD-like A␤ brain pathology. To determine whether isoprostanes increase A␤ production, we delivered isoprostane iPF 2␣ -III into the brains of Tg2576 mice. Although treated mice showed increased brain A␤ levels and plaque-like deposits, this was blocked by a thromboxane (TP) receptor antagonist, suggesting that TP receptor activation mediates the effects of iPF 2␣ -III on A␤. This hypothesis was supported by cell culture studies that showed that TP receptor activation increased A␤ and secreted APP ectodomains. This increase was a result of increased APP mRNA stability leading to elevated APP mRNA and protein levels. The increased APP provides more substrate for ␣ and ␤ secretase proteolytic cleavages, thereby increasing A␤ generation and amyloid plaque deposition. To test the effectiveness of targeting the TP receptor for AD therapy, Tg2576 mice underwent long-term treatment with S18886, an orally available TP receptor antagonist. S18886 treatment reduced amyloid plaques, insoluble A␤, and APP levels, thereby implicating TP receptor signaling as a novel target for AD therapy.