Background: APOE genotype effects on A␤ accumulation were determined using new EFAD transgenic mice. Results: In E4FAD mice, compact plaques are greater, total apoE4 is lower, less apoE4 is lipoprotein-associated, and oligomeric A␤ is higher compared with E2FAD/E3FAD, while intraneuronal A␤ is unaffected. Conclusion: APOE4 uniquely effects A␤ accumulation. Significance: These data provide a basis for APOE-induced AD risk.

Background: An ELISA was developed to determine the role of apoE/A␤ on soluble A␤ accumulation. Results: In AD transgenic mouse brain and human synaptosomes and CSF, levels of soluble apoE/A␤ are lower and oligomeric A␤ levels are higher with APOE4 and AD. Conclusion: Isoform-specific apoE/A␤ levels modulate soluble oligomeric A␤ levels. Significance: ApoE/A␤ and oligomeric A␤ represent a mechanistic approach to AD biomarkers.

BackgroundThe form(s) of amyloid-β peptide (Aβ) associated with the pathology characteristic of Alzheimer's disease (AD) remains unclear. In particular, the neurotoxicity of intraneuronal Aβ accumulation is an issue of considerable controversy; even the existence of Aβ deposits within neurons has recently been challenged by Winton and co-workers. These authors purport that it is actually intraneuronal APP that is being detected by antibodies thought to be specific for Aβ. To further address this issue, an anti-Aβ antibody was developed (MOAB-2) that specifically detects Aβ, but not APP. This antibody allows for the further evaluation of the early accumulation of intraneuronal Aβ in transgenic mice with increased levels of human Aβ in 5xFAD and 3xTg mice.ResultsMOAB-2 (mouse IgG2b) is a pan-specific, high-titer antibody to Aβ residues 1-4 as demonstrated by biochemical and immunohistochemical analyses (IHC), particularly compared to 6E10 (a commonly used commercial antibody to Aβ residues 3-8). MOAB-2 did not detect APP or APP-CTFs in cell culture media/lysates (HEK-APPSwe or HEK-APPSwe/BACE1) or in brain homogenates from transgenic mice expressing 5 familial AD (FAD) mutation (5xFAD mice). Using IHC on 5xFAD brain tissue, MOAB-2 immunoreactivity co-localized with C-terminal antibodies specific for Aβ40 and Aβ42. MOAB-2 did not co-localize with either N- or C-terminal antibodies to APP. In addition, no MOAB-2-immunreactivity was observed in the brains of 5xFAD/BACE-/- mice, although significant amounts of APP were detected by N- and C-terminal antibodies to APP, as well as by 6E10. In both 5xFAD and 3xTg mouse brain tissue, MOAB-2 co-localized with cathepsin-D, a marker for acidic organelles, further evidence for intraneuronal Aβ, distinct from Aβ associated with the cell membrane. MOAB-2 demonstrated strong intraneuronal and extra-cellular immunoreactivity in 5xFAD and 3xTg mouse brain tissues.ConclusionsBoth intraneuronal Aβ accumulation and extracellular Aβ deposition was demonstrated in 5xFAD mice and 3xTg mice with MOAB-2, an antibody that will help differentiate intracellular Aβ from APP. However, further investigation is required to determine whether a molecular mechanism links the presence of intraneuronal Aβ with neurotoxicity. As well, understanding the relevance of these observations to human AD patients is critical.

A feature of neurodegenerative disease is the accumulation of insoluble protein aggregates in the brain. In some conditions, including Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal lobar degeneration, the primary aggregating entities are RNA binding proteins. Through regulated prion-like assembly, RNA binding proteins serve many functions in RNA metabolism that are essential for the healthy maintenance of cells of the central nervous system. Those RNA binding proteins that are the core nucleating factors of Stress Granules (SGs), including TIA-1, TIAR, TTP and G3BP1, are also found in the pathological lesions of other neurological conditions, such as Alzheimer’s disease, where the hallmark aggregating protein is not an RNA binding protein. This discovery suggests that the regulated cellular pathway, which utilizes assembly of RNA binding proteins to package and silence mRNAs during stress, may be integral in the aberrant pathological protein aggregation that occurs in numerous neurodegenerative conditions.

Amyloid plaques composed of the 42 amino acid form of amyloid-beta peptide (Aβ42) are a pathological hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD), but soluble and intraneuronal Aβ42 are the more proximal causes of synaptic dysfunction and neurotoxicity. Apolipoprotein E (apoE) modulates this disease process, as inheritance of the ε4 allele of the apoE gene is the primary genetic risk factor for AD. To address the solubility of Aβ42 and apoE, a protein extraction protocol in the presence of minimal to extensive Aβ42 pathology was optimized. Sequential extractions with TBS, TBS+Triton X-100 (TBSX), and guanidine-HCl (GuHCl) or formic acid (FA) were used with tissue from young and old wild type or mice expressing 5 familial AD mutations (5xFAD), in disease-susceptible or -resistant brain regions. In older 5xFAD mice, the extraction of insoluble Aβ42 and m-apoE protein was increased with FA compared to GuHCl. The 5 FAD mutations significantly increase production of Aβ42, recapitulating AD-like pathology at a greatly accelerated rate. Consistent protein extraction and the specificity of extractions for soluble or membrane-associated proteins were demonstrated. Age-dependent increases in Aβ42 were observed in all extraction fractions, particularly in the cortex and hippocampus. In both young and old 5xFAD mice, Aβ42 is TBS-or GuHCl-soluble. While in WT mice m-apoE is TBSX-soluble, in 5xFAD mice m-apoE is TBS-or GuHCl-soluble. Thus, the extraction profile of Aβ42 paralleled that of m-apoE in 5xFAD mice. As now characterized, this method identifies the extraction profile for disease-relevant brain proteins, both normal or modified due to neuropathological processes.