Cerebral extracellular preamyloid deposits in Alzheimer's disease, Down syndrome and nondemented elderly individuals.
Using anti-SP28 (a polyclonal antibody to a 28 residue synthetic peptide homologous to the NH2-terminal region of Alzheimer amyloid beta-protein) to investigate the cerebral cortex of 8 Alzheimer and 6 Down patients and 13 nondemented individuals, we found that, besides senile plaques and congophilic vessels, extracellular deposits unrelated to degenerating neurites, tangle-bearing neurons or congophilic vessels were labelled. These deposits were observed in all Alzheimer and 4 Down patients, and in 5 nondemented individuals. The material accumulated in these deposits did not react with Congo red, thioflavine S or, on some occasions, silver salts and therefore might have been constituted by beta-protein and/or beta-protein precursors lacking the conformation of amyloid fibrils.
Tagliavini
F
F
Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milano, Italy.
Giaccone
G
G
Linoli
G
G
Frangione
B
B
Bugiani
O
O
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D000682:Amyloid / Q000378:metabolism*; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides; D016564:Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor; D000686:Amyloidosis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D004314:Down Syndrome / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D009454:Neurofibrils / Q000378:metabolism*; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000378:metabolism*
D000682:Amyloid; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides; D016564:Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor; D011498:Protein Precursors