title: Cystatin A-like immunoreactivity is widely distributed in human brain and accumulates in neuritic plaques of Alzheimer disease subjects.
abstract: The cellular localization of cystatin A, an endogenously occurring inhibitor of lysosomal thiol proteases (cathepsins B, H, L and S), was studied immunohistochemically in human postmortem brain using the peroxidase-antiperoxidase method. Both polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies to cystatin A were employed. Western blot analysis revealed one molecular form of the inhibitor in human brain extracts. Its molecular weight was about 13,000. Immunostaining appeared in a sizeable population of neurons and a few cells surrounding cerebral blood vessels (pericytes). In Alzheimer disease subjects cystatin A was found in many neuritic plaques. Possible functional consequences with regard to a role of cystatin A in the inhibition of the Alzheimer amyloid precursor protein (APP)-clipping enzyme, cathepsin B, are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany.
authors.forename: H G
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Bernstein
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rinne
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kirschke
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Järvinen
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Knöfel
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rinne
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology; D015153:Blotting, Western; D001923:Brain Chemistry / Q000502:physiology*; D015891:Cystatins / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C / Q000276:immunology; D008875:Middle Aged; D008970:Molecular Weight; D016501:Neurites / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D015891:Cystatins