Accumulation of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 in senile plaques in brain tissue of patients with Alzheimer's disease.
The still unsolved pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been the subject of extensive speculation. Some years ago, a local acute phase reaction involving production of interleukin-1 (IL-1) and IL-6 was proposed as the triggering event in AD. Since it has been reported that these cytokines induce expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), we analyzed AD brain tissue cryosections for the presence of ICAM-1 by immunostaining and for ICAM-2 expression as a control. In senile plaques a marked diffuse or granular staining for the ICAM-1 domains 1, 4, and 5 was observed, whereas ICAM-2 expression was observed in microglial cells. Immunoprecipitation analysis demonstrated the presence of a 85 kd ICAM-1 molecule in AD frontal cortex. Our findings indicate that ICAM-1 accumulates in senile plaques as a complete 5-domain molecule at a relatively early stage of senile plaque formation. Our results are in support of a cytokine-mediated pathogenesis of senile plaque formation.
Verbeek
M M
MM
Department of Pathology, University Hospital Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Otte-Höller
I
I
Westphal
J R
JR
Wesseling
P
P
Ruiter
D J
DJ
de Waal
R M
RM
D000293:Adolescent; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000378:metabolism*; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D015703:Antigens, CD; D002196:Capillaries / Q000378:metabolism; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000378:metabolism*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000098:blood supply*; D003704:Dementia / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D018799:Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1; D008297:Male; D011233:Precipitin Tests; D012016:Reference Values
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D015703:Antigens, CD; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules; C065289:ICAM2 protein, human; D018799:Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1