title: Correlation of astrocytic S100 beta expression with dystrophic neurites in amyloid plaques of Alzheimer's disease.
abstract: The neurite extension factor S100 beta is overexpressed by activated astrocytes associated with amyloid-containing plaques in Alzheimer's disease, and has been implicated in dystrophic neurite formation in these plaques. This predicts (a) that the appearance of S100beta- immunoreactive (S100beta+) astrocytes precedes that of dystrophic neurites in diffuse amyloid deposits and (b) that the number of these astrocytes correlates with the degree of dystrophic neurite proliferation in neuritic plaques. As a test of the first prediction, we determined the number of S100beta+ astrocytes associated with different plaque types: diffuse non-neuritic, diffuse neuritic, dense-core neuritic, and dense-core non-neuritic. Diffuse non-neuritic plaques had small numbers of associated S100beta+ astrocytes (1.3 +/- 0.1 S100beta astrocytes per plaque [mean +/- SEM]; 80% of plaques had one or more). These astrocytes were most abundant in diffuse neuritic plaques (4.2 +/- 0.2; 100%), were somewhat less numerous in dense-core neuritic plaques (1.6 +/- 0.2; 90%), and were only rarely associated with dense-core non-neuritic plaques (0.15 +/- 0.05; 12%). As a test of the second prediction, we correlated the number of S100beta+ astrocytes per plaque with the area of beta-amyloid precursor protein (beta-APP) immunoreactivity per plaque (an index of the size of the plaques' dystrophic neurite shells) and found a significant positive correlation (r = 0.74, p < 0.001). This correlation was also evident at the tissue level: the numbers of S100beta+ astrocytes per plaque-rich field correlated with the total area beta-APP immunoreactivity in these fields (r = 0.66, p < 0.05). These correlations support the idea that astrocytic activation and S100 beta overexpression are involved in the induction and maintenance of dystrophic neurites in amyloid deposits, and support the concept of a glial cytokine-mediated cascade underlying the progression of neuropathological changes in Alzheimer's disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterans' Affairs Medical Center, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA.
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Mrak
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Sheng
authors.forename: W S
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Griffin
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000473:pathology*; D016564:Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008875:Middle Aged; D016501:Neurites / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D016564:Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor