title: Neuropathology and apolipoprotein E profile of aged chimpanzees: implications for Alzheimer disease.
abstract: Neuropathological findings in three aged chimpanzees were compared with those in rhesus monkeys and individuals with Alzheimer disease. Senile plaques and blood vessels were immunoreactive for amyloid beta-protein and apolipoprotein E (apoE) in the nonhuman primates, recapitulating findings in human aging and Alzheimer disease. Neurofibrillary tangles, another hallmark of Alzheimer disease, were absent. PCR/restriction-enzyme analysis in chimpanzees revealed an APOE profile similar to the human APOE type 4 allele associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer disease. These findings militate against the hypothesis that the absence of APOE type 3 allele predisposes to neurofibrillary tangle formation and support the value of aged primates for exploring mechanisms of amyloid processing and the role of apoE.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gearing
authors.forename: G W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Rebeck
authors.forename: B T
authors.initials: BT
authors.lastname: Hyman
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tigges
authors.forename: S S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Mirra
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000483:Alleles; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology*; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides / Q000032:analysis; D000818:Animals; D001057:Apolipoproteins E / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D001483:Base Sequence; D001921:Brain / Q000254:growth & development / Q000473:pathology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D017931:DNA Primers; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008253:Macaca mulatta; D008297:Male; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016874:Neurofibrillary Tangles; D002679:Pan troglodytes; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides; D001057:Apolipoproteins E; D017931:DNA Primers