Granules in glial cells of patients with Alzheimer's disease are immunopositive for C-terminal sequences of beta-amyloid protein.
Granular structures that are recognized by antibodies specific for the C-terminal but not the N-terminal sequences of the beta-amyloid protein (A beta) fragments are present in a subset of microglia and astrocytes in Alzheimer brain tissue. The immunohistochemical profile indicates that the A beta in these granules is truncated between the residues 17 and 31 and terminates at the residue 42 or 43. Such granule-containing glia occur only in brain areas with the heavy A beta deposits. Whether the intraglial A beta fragments accumulate as a result of phagocytosis of extracellular A beta or are formed intracellularly by glial cells from amyloid precursor protein (APP) remains unknown.
Akiyama
H
H
Tokyo Institute of Psychiatry, Japan.
Schwab
C
C
Kondo
H
H
Mori
H
H
Kametani
F
F
Ikeda
K
K
McGeer
P L
PL
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides / Q000032:analysis*; D003594:Cytoplasmic Granules / Q000737:chemistry*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D010587:Phagocytosis / Q000502:physiology
D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides