Several epidemiological studies indicate that moderate consumption of wine is associated with a lower incidence of Alzheimer's disease. Wine is enriched in antioxidant compounds with potential neuroprotective activities. However, the exact molecular mechanisms involved in the beneficial effects of wine intake on the neurodegenerative process in Alzheimer's disease brain remain to be clearly defined. Here we show that resveratrol (trans-3,4,5-trihydroxystilbene), a naturally occurring polyphenol mainly found in grapes and red wine, markedly lowers the levels of secreted and intracellular amyloid-␤ (A␤) peptides produced from different cell lines. Resveratrol does not inhibit A␤ production, because it has no effect on the A␤-producing enzymes ␤-and ␥-secretases, but promotes instead intracellular degradation of A␤ via a mechanism that involves the proteasome. Indeed, the resveratrol-induced decrease of A␤ could be prevented by several selective proteasome inhibitors and by siRNA-directed silencing of the proteasome subunit ␤5. These findings demonstrate a proteasome-dependent anti-amyloidogenic activity of resveratrol and suggest that this natural compound has a therapeutic potential in Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's disease (AD)2 is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder leading to the most common form of dementia. Compelling evidence supports the central role of A␤ in the pathogenesis of the disease (1). A␤ is a core component of the senile plaque, a classical lesion found in the neocortex and hippocampus of AD brains, and excessive production of the highly insoluble 42-amino acid-long A␤42 peptide is almost invariably observed in the presence of mutations in the three genes linked to early onset autosomal dominant familial forms of AD (2).In the amyloidogenic pathway, the amyloid-␤ precursor protein (APP) is cleaved by the aspartic protease ␤-secretase/BACE1 to yield the membrane-anchored C-terminal fragments C99 and C89. C99 is then endoproteolyzed by the ␥-secretase proteolytic complex to produce various A␤ peptides. The major cleavage takes place after Val-40 producing A␤40. In an alternative nonamyloidogenic pathway, APP is endoproteolyzed within the A␤ region by ␣-secretase to generate the C-terminal fragment C83 and the soluble N-terminal fragment secreted APP␣. Finally, a ␥-secretase-mediated ⑀-cleavage of APP allows the intracellular release of the transcriptionally active APP intracellular domain (AID (3) or AICD) (4 -6).Epidemiological studies have shown that moderate wine intake reduces the risk of developing AD (7-10). Resveratrol, a polyphenol that occurs in abundance in grapes and red wine, is suspected to afford antioxidant and neuroprotective properties and therefore to contribute to the beneficial effect of wine consumption on the neurodegenerative process (11-13). Here we report that resveratrol has a potent anti-amyloidogenic activity by reducing the levels of A␤ produced from different cell lines expressing wild type or Swedish mutant APP 695 . We show that resveratrol acts by promoting ...

Alzheimer disease is an age-related neurodegenerative disorder characterized by amyloid-␤ (A␤) peptide deposition into cerebral amyloid plaques. The natural polyphenol resveratrol promotes anti-aging pathways via the activation of several metabolic sensors, including the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK). Resveratrol also lowers A␤ levels in cell lines; however, the underlying mechanism responsible for this effect is largely unknown. Moreover, the bioavailability of resveratrol in the brain remains uncertain. Here we show that AMPK signaling controls A␤ metabolism and mediates the anti-amyloidogenic effect of resveratrol in non-neuronal and neuronal cells, including in mouse primary neurons. Resveratrol increased cytosolic calcium levels and promoted AMPK activation by the calcium/ calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinase-␤. Direct pharmacological and genetic activation of AMPK lowered extracellular A␤ accumulation, whereas AMPK inhibition reduced the effect of resveratrol on A␤ levels. Furthermore, resveratrol inhibited the AMPK target mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin) to trigger autophagy and lysosomal degradation of A␤. Finally, orally administered resveratrol in mice was detected in the brain where it activated AMPK and reduced cerebral A␤ levels and deposition in the cortex. These data suggest that resveratrol and pharmacological activation of AMPK have therapeutic potential against Alzheimer disease. Alzheimer disease (AD)2 is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder and the first cause of dementia. Amyloid-␤ (A␤) peptides have a central role in the pathogenesis of the disease and represent the core components of the senile plaques, the lesions invariably found in the neocortex and hippocampus of the AD brains (1, 2). In the amyloidogenic pathway, the amyloid-␤ precursor protein (APP) is sequentially cleaved by the aspartic protease ␤-secretase/BACE1 and by the ␥-secretase proteolytic complex to produce various A␤ peptides, including the most abundant isoforms A␤1-40 and A␤1-42 (3, 4).Epidemiological data suggest that moderate consumption of red wine is associated with a lower incidence of dementia and AD (5). The naturally occurring polyphenol resveratrol (trans-3,4Ј,5-trihydroxystilbene), which is found in abundance in red wine, has antioxidant and neuroprotective properties in vitro and could explain, in part, the beneficial effects of wine consumption in AD (6, 7). Importantly, resveratrol controls A␤ levels by facilitating its proteolytic clearance in cultured cell lines (8). However, the exact molecular mechanism by which resveratrol controls A␤ metabolism is currently unknown. Furthermore, evidence is missing to support the notion that orally administered resveratrol is bioavailable and bioactive in the brain.A growing body of literature has demonstrated the beneficial effect of resveratrol on age-related metabolic deterioration and its protective role in metabolic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes and obesity. Resveratrol mimics caloric restriction by extending the lifespan of different smal...

Retinoic acid receptors (RAR), thyroid hormone receptors (TR), peroxisome proliferator activated receptors (PPARs) and the orphan receptor, LXR, bind preferentially to DNA as heterodimers with a common partner, retinoid X receptor (RXR), to regulate transcription. We investigated whether RXR-selective agonists replicate the activity of ligands for several of these receptors? We demonstrate here that RXR-selective ligands (referred to as rexinoids) function as RXR heterodimer-selective agonists, activating RXR: PPARgamma and RXR:LXR dimers but not RXR:RAR or RXR:TR heterodimers. Because PPARgamma is a target for antidiabetic agents, we investigated whether RXR ligands could alter insulin and glucose signalling. In mouse models of noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) and obesity, RXR agonists function as insulin sensitizers and can decrease hyperglycaemia, hypertriglyceridaemia and hyperinsulinaemia. This antidiabetic activity can be further enhanced by combination treatment with PPARgamma agonists, such as thiazolidinediones. These data suggest that the RXR:PPARgamma heterodimer is a single-function complex serving as a molecular target for treatment of insulin resistance. Activation of the RXR:PPARgamma dimer with rexinoids may provide a new and effective treatment for NIDDM.

The cardiac response to increased work includes a reactivation of fetal genes. The response to a decrease in cardiac work is not known. Such information is of clinical interest, because mechanical unloading can improve the functional capacity of the failing heart. We compared here the patterns of gene expression in unloaded rat heart with those in hypertrophied rat heart. Both conditions induced a re-expression of growth factors and proto-oncogenes, and a downregulation of the 'adult' isoforms, but not of the 'fetal' isoforms, of proteins regulating myocardial energetics. Therefore, opposite changes in cardiac workload in vivo induce similar patterns of gene response. Reactivation of fetal genes may underlie the functional improvement of an unloaded failing heart.

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Glucose metabolism is depressed in the temporal and parietal regions of the cortex in patients with Alzheimer's disease. We measured the concentrations of two glucose transporters, GLUT1 and GLUT3, in six regions of brains from both control subjects and patients with Alzheimer's disease. The concentrations of both transporters were reduced in the cerebral cortex, with larger and highly significant reductions observed for GLUT3, the putative neuronal glucose transporter. The reductions in GLUT3 were greater than the loss of synapses, and should be considered as a potential cause of the deficits in glucose metabolism.

Retinoid X receptor (RXR) belongs to a family of ligandactivated transcription factors that regulate many aspects of metazoan life. A class of nuclear receptors requires RXR as heterodimerization partner for their function. This places RXR in the crossroad of multiple distinct biological pathways. This and the fact that the debate on the endogenous ligand requirement for RXR is not yet settled make RXR still an enigmatic transcription factor. Here, we review some of the biology of RXR. We place RXR into the evolution of nuclear receptors, review structural details and ligands of the receptor. Then processes regulated by RXR are discussed focusing on the developmental roles deduced from studies on knockout animals and metabolic roles in diseases such as diabetes and atherosclerosis deduced from pharmacological studies. Finally, aspects of RXR's involvement in myeloid differentiation and apoptosis are summarized along with issues on RXR's suitability as a therapeutic target.

The receptor-mediated endocytosis of alpha 2-macroglobulin can be inhibited by a diverse group of chemical compounds all of which share the property of being inhibitors of one form of cellular transglutaminase. The present results strongly suggest that protein cross-linking may be essential for receptor-mediated endocytosis of some protein and polypeptide hormones.