title: Reduced transferrin binding in Down syndrome: a route to senile plaque formation and dementia.
abstract: Plasma transferrin binding in Down syndrome and Alzheimer's disease is significantly reduced compared with age matched controls and it was thought this may help elucidate a pathological time sequence for the onset of dementia in Down syndrome. In Down syndrome, there was a reduction in gallium and aluminium transferrin binding both with age and the onset of dementia. Non-transferrin bound gallium species were identified as non-transportable phosphate or silicate. Thus, the route of entry of metals into the brain must be via a transferrin mediated complex only. A clear sequence of pathological events has been demonstrated in Down syndrome which shows the pathway to development of plaques and dementia and this is believed to have an immunological origin.
authors.affiliation: MRC Radiobiology Unit, Chilton, Didcot, UK.
authors.forename: P S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Hodgkins
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Prasher
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Farrar
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Armstrong
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sturman
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Corbett
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Blair
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003704:Dementia / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004314:Down Syndrome / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009942:Organometallic Compounds / Q000378:metabolism; D011990:Receptors, Transferrin / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D014168:Transferrin / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D009942:Organometallic Compounds; D011990:Receptors, Transferrin; D014168:Transferrin; C066781:aluminum-transferrin; C069724:gallium-transferrin complex